Qi Lu
Encyclopedia
Lu Qi more commonly known as Qi Lu in English
, is currently an executive at Microsoft
working on the Bing search engine
. Lu formerly worked as technology developer and manager for Yahoo!
's technology search division.
Lu faced and overcame difficulty and challenge from a young age. Facing persecution during China's Cultural Revolution, his parents sent him from their Shanghai home to live with his grandfather in a tiny town in Jiangsu province
, five hours away. Lu did not have access to electricity or plumbing, and was so poor that meat was a once-a-year luxury. His first two choices to escape poverty were closed off: His slight build left him short of government weight mandates for coveted shipbuilding
jobs, and his eyesight was too poor to pass requirements for becoming a physicist.
Lu studied at Fudan University
in Shanghai
, China
. He was assigned to a $10 a month teaching job in Shanghai after earning his master's degree. After a weekend rainstorm prevented his weekly bike ride home to see his parents, he was in his dorm room
when a student pleaded with him to attend a poorly attended talk by Carnegie Mellon professor Edmund M. Clarke
. Clarke was impressed with Lu's questions, and invited him to apply for a PhD at Carnegie Mellon. Clarke even offered to waive the $45 application fee that Lu says he could never have come up with. In 1996, Lu graduated with a PhD
in Computer Science
from Carnegie Mellon.
Lu, aged 47 in August, 2009, worked first in one of IBM
's research labs 1996-98, then joined Yahoo!, eventually rising to manage 3,000 engineers and the development of search and search advertising technologies for the company. Lu's departure from Yahoo! in mid-2008 was long-planned, and he was contemplating opportunities in venture capital and even thinking of returning to China. However, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer
personally recruited him to join the software giant. After joining Microsoft, Lu along with Satya Nadella was instrumental in driving the partnership with Yahoo! in search and the launch of Bing. While Google
is still expected to have double the market share of the newly combined Microsoft/Yahoo! search function, the overall Yahoo!/Bing initiative represents a substantial and expanded challenge to the market leader.
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, is currently an executive at Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
working on the Bing search engine
Search engine
A search engine is an information retrieval system designed to help find information stored on a computer system. The search results are usually presented in a list and are commonly called hits. Search engines help to minimize the time required to find information and the amount of information...
. Lu formerly worked as technology developer and manager for Yahoo!
Yahoo!
Yahoo! Inc. is an American multinational internet corporation headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, United States. The company is perhaps best known for its web portal, search engine , Yahoo! Directory, Yahoo! Mail, Yahoo! News, Yahoo! Groups, Yahoo! Answers, advertising, online mapping ,...
's technology search division.
Lu faced and overcame difficulty and challenge from a young age. Facing persecution during China's Cultural Revolution, his parents sent him from their Shanghai home to live with his grandfather in a tiny town in Jiangsu province
Jiangsu
' is a province of the People's Republic of China, located along the east coast of the country. The name comes from jiang, short for the city of Jiangning , and su, for the city of Suzhou. The abbreviation for this province is "苏" , the second character of its name...
, five hours away. Lu did not have access to electricity or plumbing, and was so poor that meat was a once-a-year luxury. His first two choices to escape poverty were closed off: His slight build left him short of government weight mandates for coveted shipbuilding
Shipbuilding
Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and floating vessels. It normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation that traces its roots to before recorded history.Shipbuilding and ship repairs, both...
jobs, and his eyesight was too poor to pass requirements for becoming a physicist.
Lu studied at Fudan University
Fudan University
Fudan University , located in Shanghai, is one of the oldest and most selective universities in China, and is a member of the C9 League. Its institutional predecessor was founded in 1905, shortly before the end of China's imperial Qing dynasty...
in Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. He was assigned to a $10 a month teaching job in Shanghai after earning his master's degree. After a weekend rainstorm prevented his weekly bike ride home to see his parents, he was in his dorm room
Dormitory
A dormitory, often shortened to dorm, in the United States is a residence hall consisting of sleeping quarters or entire buildings primarily providing sleeping and residential quarters for large numbers of people, often boarding school, college or university students...
when a student pleaded with him to attend a poorly attended talk by Carnegie Mellon professor Edmund M. Clarke
Edmund M. Clarke
Edmund Melson Clarke, Jr. is a computer scientist and academic noted for developingmodel checking, a method for formally verifying hardware and software designs....
. Clarke was impressed with Lu's questions, and invited him to apply for a PhD at Carnegie Mellon. Clarke even offered to waive the $45 application fee that Lu says he could never have come up with. In 1996, Lu graduated with a PhD
PHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in Computer Science
Computer science
Computer science or computing science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems...
from Carnegie Mellon.
Lu, aged 47 in August, 2009, worked first in one of IBM
IBM
International Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
's research labs 1996-98, then joined Yahoo!, eventually rising to manage 3,000 engineers and the development of search and search advertising technologies for the company. Lu's departure from Yahoo! in mid-2008 was long-planned, and he was contemplating opportunities in venture capital and even thinking of returning to China. However, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer
Steve Ballmer
Steven Anthony "Steve" Ballmer is an American business magnate. He is the chief executive officer of Microsoft, having held that post since January 2000. , his personal wealth is estimated at US$13.9 billion, ranking number 19 on the Forbes 400.-Early life:Ballmer was born in Detroit, Michigan to...
personally recruited him to join the software giant. After joining Microsoft, Lu along with Satya Nadella was instrumental in driving the partnership with Yahoo! in search and the launch of Bing. While Google
Google
Google Inc. is an American multinational public corporation invested in Internet search, cloud computing, and advertising technologies. Google hosts and develops a number of Internet-based services and products, and generates profit primarily from advertising through its AdWords program...
is still expected to have double the market share of the newly combined Microsoft/Yahoo! search function, the overall Yahoo!/Bing initiative represents a substantial and expanded challenge to the market leader.