Baidu’s Robin Li has bottle of water tipped over his head by attendee at Beijing event as he gives presentation

Baidu’s founder Robin Li has come under pressure recently after the company reported its first-ever quarterly loss

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Baidu founder Robin Li looks shocked as a man from the audience pours a bottle of water over his head. Photo: Weibo

Published: 11:21am, 3 Jul 2019Updated: 12:52pm, 5 Jul 2019

Robin Li Yanhong, co-founder and chairman of China search engine giant Baidu, was speaking at a company event on connected cars and artificial intelligence in Beijing on Wednesday, when a man from the audience jumped on stage and poured a bottle of water over his head.

Looking shocked, Li responded by saying “What’s your problem?”, before the man left the stage and was tackled by security. There were gasps from the audience and then sporadic applause as Li resumed his presentation, saying “there are many unexpected things in the development of AI too.”

The motivation behind the man’s action was unclear. A spokesman for Baidu said the matter was under investigation.

Li has come under pressure recently after the Beijing-based search engine operator reported its first-ever quarterly loss since going public in 2005.

“2019 is not only a year of challenges, but also a year of opportunities. In the coming months and days, the whole Baidu family, from the senior management to all employees, must work hard and fight harder,” Li said in a memo last month, a copy of which was obtained by the Post.