Qi Lu, COO of Baidu and formerly of Microsoft, leads the company's presentation at CES in Las Vegas in January. (GeekWire Photo / Kurt Schlosser) In a management reshuffle at Chinese search engine giant Baidu, COO and Microsoft veteran Qi Lu is stepping down from his role, according to a report by the South China Morning Post. He will now serve as the company's vice chairperson. Qi Lu. (Wikimedia Photo) The move comes as Baidu is repositioning itself as an artificial intelligence leader, and just months after it opened its AI-focused office in the Seattle area. The office was championed by Lu and his connections to the region. Baidu said on its official WeChat page that Lu is stepping down for "personal and family reasons," the Post reports. His move comes as part of a reorganization that will see Baidu VP Haifeng Wang become an SVP and take charge of the company's AI efforts.