Baidu and Uber sign investment and cooperation agreement
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China-based Web services giant Baidu and Uber, the US-based taxi-service operator, have announced a strategic investment and cooperation agreement.
Under the terms of the agreement, Baidu will invest in Uber and enable users of Baidu Map and Mobile Baidu – its flagship mobile search app – to connect easily with Uber driver-partners.
Uber, meanwhile, will leverage Baidu’s strengths in mobile search, mobile mapping and app distribution.
Baidu chairman and chief executive officer Robin Li said that in the age of the smart phone, people were now searching for the services they want, and were looking for the most convenient way to get where they want to go.
Meanwhile, Uber’s growth in the last four years is testimony to the demand for easy, reliable and inexpensive transportation, he said.
“We’re delighted that we can work together to help meet that demand – and we’re excited by this pioneering strategic partnership between a Chinese and an American Internet company,” said Li.
Baidu leads in the key mobile gateways of mobile search, mobiles maps and app distribution.
Baidu mobile search has more than 500 million monthly active users, and Baidu Map has over 240 million active users per month.
Baidu is China’s largest mobile-application distribution platform, distributing an average of 160 million apps on a daily basis.
In recent years, the company has expanded into multiple markets outside of China, focusing on Southeast Asia, the Middle East and North Africa, and Latin America.
Last July, Baidu launched its first western-language search engine – in Portuguese in Brazil.
Uber’s chief executive officer, Travis Kalanick, said the collaboration deal marked a milestone for his company.
Uber is currently in 250 cities around the world, and the Asia-Pacific has been a key area of growth for the business.
“Our partnership with Baidu reflects our commitment to the region and the growing community of Uber riders and driver-partners here,” he said.
Uber currently operates in nine cities in China: Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, Chongqing, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Wuhan, Chengdu and Hangzhou.
