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Baidu

Robin Li · 2000

Baidu is a foundational case of algorithm-first platform building: its 1996 RankDex technology became its 2000 product, its 2001 ad model predated Google’s, and its 2003 content-search innovations were tailored to Chinese media structures. It achieved national dominance and NASDAQ listing — but never decoupled from search advertising, even as it invested in Apollo, Xiaodu, and AI stacks.