Searching for the next big thing

摘要

It is that rarest of things, an internet-search firm that does not have to worry much about Google. Baidu's dominance of the market for search-related advertising in China has remained unchallenged since its American counterpart quit the country a few years ago, rather than put up with official censorship. For a while, Baidu simply milked its strong position in its home market. But more recently the shift from computers to smartphones, and thus to searching via apps rather than browsers, has forced the Chinese firm to get serious about innovation. Another factor is its desire to keep up with two other rapidly growing online firms, Alibaba and Tencent.