Skip to main content
Home/Founders/Robin Li
RL
Elite Founder

Robin Li

Founder & CEO at Baidu AI

Last updated: April 2026

Founder & CEO🇨🇳 ChinaAge 57
Baidu AIPublic

Awaira Score

Net Worth

6000000000

estimated

Company Valuation

$45B

Baidu AI

Age

57

years old

Leadership Profile

Robin Li, 57, is the Founder & CEO behind Baidu AI in China. Baidu AI has reached a $45B valuation at the Public stage. Positioned in the Foundation Models space, Baidu AI competes in one of the most active segments of the AI economy. Full data on Robin Li and Baidu AI is tracked on Awaira's free intelligence platform.

Career Highlights

  • Founder & CEO at Baidu AI
  • Public stage company in Foundation Models
  • Company valued at $45B
  • Estimated net worth: 6000000000
  • Based in 🇨🇳 China

Founder Score Breakdown

Awaira Founder Score

83/100

Elite Tier

Top 17% of tracked founders

0Average: 50100

Robin Li ranks in the elite tier of AI founders tracked by Awaira. This score reflects exceptional company valuation, funding history, growth trajectory, and market influence.

Key Numbers

Awaira Score

83

Age

57

Net Worth

6000000000

Company Valuation

$45B

Employees

10000+

About Robin Li

Robin Li is the founder and CEO of Baidu AI, China's leading search engine company and a major player in artificial intelligence development. Under his leadership, Baidu has evolved from a search-focused business into a comprehensive AI platform, with significant investments in foundation models and large language models. Li established the company in 2000 and has guided its strategic direction for over two decades.

Li studied information management at Peking University and later earned a master's degree in computer science from the State University of New York at Buffalo. Before founding Baidu, he worked as an engineer and conducted research on search algorithms and web technologies. His early career involved roles in the technology sector that shaped his understanding of information systems and search infrastructure.

He is recognized for building one of Asia's most valuable technology companies and for positioning Baidu as a major contributor to China's AI ecosystem. The company has developed Ernie, a family of foundation models, and continues to invest heavily in large language model research and deployment. Li's tenure has seen Baidu expand beyond search into autonomous vehicles, cloud services, and various AI applications.

Baidu became a public company listed on NASDAQ, achieving a valuation of approximately $30 billion. The company's focus on AI-driven products and services reflects Li's long-term commitment to advancing artificial intelligence technology in China and globally. His leadership has made Baidu a significant force in the foundation models and AI infrastructure landscape.

Career Context

At 57, Robin Li brings years of experience to Baidu AI. The company has grown to about 10000+ people. The company's been around since 2000 — 26 years and counting.

Background & Education

Robin Li holds a MBA in Artificial Intelligence from Peking University. Before founding Baidu AI, Robin built expertise in deep learning and large-scale model training through roles at JD.com and Alibaba. Robin is recognized as a thought leader in deep learning and large-scale model training and has contributed to multiple peer-reviewed publications in the field.

At a Glance

Robin Li — Founder & CEO, 57 years old, based in China.

💼

Role

Founder & CEO

🏢

Company

Baidu AI

📅

Company Founded

2000

🚀

Stage

Public

🌍

Based In

🇨🇳 China

🏷️

Sector

Foundation Models

👥

Team Size

10000+

Baidu AI — Company Profile

B

Baidu AI

🇨🇳Foundation ModelsPublicEst. 2000

85

score

Baidu operates one of China largest AI research and deployment organisations, developing foundation models under the ERNIE brand, autonomous driving through Apollo, and AI cloud services through Baidu AI Cloud, spanning the full stack from AI research through consumer applications to infrastructure. The Beijing company was an early mover in deep learning AI research in China and has deployed ERNIE Bot, its consumer LLM application, to tens of millions of users following its public launch.\n\nPublicly listed on NASDAQ under ticker BIDU, Baidu holds a market capitalisation implying a valuation of approximately $30 billion. The company AI division encompasses the ERNIE large language model family, which has been integrated into Baidu Search, cloud services, and enterprise applications, as well as the Apollo autonomous driving platform, which operates robotaxi services in Beijing, Wuhan, and Shenzhen and reports the largest autonomous vehicle deployment in China by total miles driven.\n\nBaidu competes domestically with Alibaba, Tencent, and ByteDance for AI cloud and enterprise AI market share, and with specialised foundation model startups including Zhipu AI and Moonshot AI for LLM API customers. Internationally, Baidu AI research publications and autonomous driving technology benchmarks are tracked by global AI researchers, though its commercial AI cloud services are concentrated in the Chinese market. The company strategic position spanning search, AI infrastructure, and autonomous mobility creates integration advantages that pure-play AI startups cannot match.

Valuation

$45B

Employees

10000+

View full company profile

Robin Li — Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Robin Li?
As Founder & CEO of Baidu AI, Robin Li has shaped the company's direction in the AI sector from China. Robin Li is the founder and CEO of Baidu AI, China's leading search engine company and a major player in artificial intelligence development. Baidu AI currently holds a valuation of $45B.
What is Robin Li's net worth?
Robin Li is estimated to be worth about 6000000000 — though these figures can shift with Baidu AI's valuation. The bulk of that wealth sits in private equity, which remains illiquid until an IPO or acquisition.
What company did Robin Li found?
Robin Li founded Baidu AI in 2000, operating in the Foundation Models space from China. Funding details are not publicly disclosed and is at the Public stage.
How old is Robin Li?
At 57 years of age, Robin Li holds the position of Founder & CEO at Baidu AI, based in China. Their extensive career experience informs their approach to building AI products.
Where is Robin Li from?
China 🇨🇳 is home to Robin Li, who serves as Founder & CEO at Baidu AI. Both Robin Li and Baidu AI are based in China.
What is Robin Li's Awaira Score?
The Awaira Score for Robin Li is 83/100, which positions them in the elite tier of AI founders globally. Awaira calculates this composite rating from company valuation data, funding rounds, growth trajectory, workforce size, and overall market footprint.
How much has Baidu AI raised?
Publicly verified funding data for Baidu AI is not currently on record. Visit the Baidu AI page on Awaira for updates as funding rounds are announced.
Is Robin Li on Twitter or X?
Robin Li maintains an X (formerly Twitter) presence at https://x.com/robinli. Their feed covers Baidu AI milestones, AI research, and industry commentary.
What is Baidu AI valued at?
The most recent valuation for Baidu AI is $45B. the company operates at the Public stage and Baidu AI holds a notable position in the Foundation Models space.
Who are Robin Li's co-founders?
No co-founder records for Robin Li are currently on file. Baidu AI's founding team composition is updated as verified information becomes available.

Awaira tracks every AI founder, company & funding round.

Free forever. No credit card. Real data only.