Baidu VP Yin Shiming Leaves in Latest Shake-Up at Struggling Cloud Unit
Dou Shicong
DATE:  Apr 23 2020
/ SOURCE:  Yicai
Baidu VP Yin Shiming Leaves in Latest Shake-Up at Struggling Cloud Unit Baidu VP Yin Shiming Leaves in Latest Shake-Up at Struggling Cloud Unit

(Yicai Global) April 23 -- Yin Shiming, vice president of Chinese search engine giant Baidu and head of its Cloud Engine business unit, has left the firm, tech information website 36Kr reported today. This is the latest in a series of shake-ups to the beleaguered cloud computing division that has failed to gain a toe-hold in the highly competitive sector.

Yin’s departure is an indication that senior management were not satisfied with the unit’s recent performance and saw Yin’s radical sales strategy as leading to further losses for the Beijing-based company, an insider said.

China’s cloud computing market is dominated by Alibaba Group Holding, Tencent Holdings, Amazon, China Telecom and Huawei Technologies which hold a combined 75 percent market share, according to US analytics firm International Data. Baidu ranked just sixth in the first half of last year.

A series of organizational adjustments over the last half year had seen Yin increasingly elbowed aside. Last September, the cloud engine group was merged with the chief technology officer’s department. In January it was lumped together with several tech platforms to form the Artificial Intelligence Group.

Then last month, together with the cloud unit’s Deputy General Manager Zhang Zhiqi, Yin was removed from his position by CTO Wang Haifeng to await further arrangements. Zhang has also since left the firm, an employee said.

Yin joined Baidu in 2016 at the invitation of then-president Zhang Yaqin to lead the building of Baidu Cloud’s business commercialization system and is credited with bringing in many major clients. He previously worked in senior management at German software developer SAP and US computer giant Apple’s China divisions.

Editor: Kim Taylor

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Keywords:   Baidu Cloud,Vice President