Xie Yufeng, a 30-year-old who works at an entertainment company, likes the convenience of ordering meals on Baidu.
"I can check the location of the delivery man in the online map, then estimate when he will arrive," she said.
Investors are skeptical all this will pay off. Baidu shares have tumbled 37 per cent this year as Li has poured money into the initiative and driven operating margins down to 21 per cent in the second quarter from 52 per cent three years earlier. The drop has been compounded by broader weakness in the Chinese economy.
"Baidu's weak outlook couldn't have come at a worse time," said Brendan Ahern, managing director of Krane Fund Advisors LLC whose KraneShares CSI China Internet ETF has shares in Baidu and competitor Alibaba Group. "China sentiment among US investors is poor."