Reposted from: Baidu Family, based on Lu Qi’s internal sharing at Baidu in July 2017. It is highly worth learning and pondering for technical personnel.
I personally admire Lu Qi. “Lu Qi is known for his incredible energy. He typically wakes up at 4 AM, checks emails, and then runs 4 miles on a treadmill while listening to classical music or watching news. He arrives at the office between 5 AM and 6 AM, using that time to prepare for the day undisturbed, and usually works until 10 PM, sometimes sending emails to colleagues at midnight. LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner, who worked with Lu Qi at Yahoo for years, initially thought this schedule was unsustainable but eventually said: ‘Lu Qi is indeed the most driven person I have ever met.’ Former Yahoo engineer Amit Kumar also praised Lu’s popularity. Lu says: ‘I don’t feel tired; I love my job every day.’ Lu Qi holds 20 US patents.”
The core ideas of Lu Qi’s speech can be summarized into the following five points. I have posted them on my study wall to remind myself constantly.
- “We must have an unwavering and profound belief that the entire world is ultimately driven by technology.”
- “Has anyone else already solved this problem? If so, put your time into better innovation.”
- “Whatever you do, aim to be the best, to be the strongest in the industry.”
- “I imagine myself as a piece of software, a piece of code. Today’s version must be better than yesterday’s, and tomorrow’s will surely be better than today’s.”
- “If you see a problem, don’t just ask others—Fix it.”
Believe in Technology
First, believe in technology. As I mentioned, for our industry, and especially for companies like Baidu, a steady and unwavering belief in technology is vital.
I’d also like to share that Bill Gates mentioned Microsoft’s mission as: writing software represents the future of the world.
Why? Because any industry in the future will become a software industry. Gates was right because the degree of automation in any industry will keep increasing, and ultimately, what you process is information and knowledge.
But the way software works has moved forward again. In the age of AI, it’s not just about writing code; you must understand algorithms, hardware, and data. The entire AI development process has advanced significantly. However, technology—especially the technology represented by our industry—will always be at the forefront of any future industry.
Therefore, we must have an unwavering and profound belief that the entire world is ultimately driven by technology.
Innovate on the Shoulders of Giants
If we look at Silicon Valley in the US or China, whether it’s an internet startup or a large corporation, the starting point for everyone is getting higher. Why is the speed of innovation so fast now? Mainly because the starting point is high. The code modules and service capabilities we can use have greatly improved.
Internally, I want to emphasize this. Many large companies, including Microsoft, have rewritten internal code countless times.
My requirement now is: Every time you write a new line of code, the first thing to do is think about whether that line is worth writing. Has someone else already done the same work, perhaps even better? Has anyone else already solved this problem? Then you can put your time into better innovation.
Especially in large companies, there is too much repeated or nearly repeated code, wasting too many resources. This isn’t good for anyone’s career.
Again, within a large company, think before you write code: Do I need to write this? Does someone else already have it? Stand on the shoulders of others to do this.
Pursue Engineering Excellence
Another thing I want to emphasize is Engineering Excellence—the technical excellence and capability in engineering.
Competition in any market is like war. It depends on the physical strength and quality of your troops, the level of training for each soldier, and the weapons you give them—machine guns, tanks, or something else.
Engineering Excellence is analogous to this. We want to build the world’s strongest force. Every soldier, every leader, everyone’s capability and training are top-notch, and the tools and weapons we provide are first-class.
Therefore, Engineering Excellence is a collective pursuit of individual and team capability, alongside innovation in tool platforms. Combined, they bring us long-term core competitiveness and create value for society—ultimately for every user, enterprise, and society as a whole.
I also want to emphasize here: Relentless pursuit of excellence—a never-ending, continuous pursuit.
We either don’t do it, or we do it best. This is my requirement for everyone. Whether it’s a database, a large platform, or big data, whatever we decide to do, we must be determined. Aim to be the best, to be the strongest in the industry.
Learn Every Day
Learning every day is perhaps the most important thing for everyone.
Today, I’ll share how I think about myself. It’s a simple concept: I imagine myself as a piece of software, a piece of code. Today’s version must be better than yesterday’s, and tomorrow’s will surely be better than today’s, because even if I make a mistake, I have an if statement inside that says: If I see this error again, never repeat it.
In English, there is a saying: “Life is too short, don’t live the same day twice.” Every day should be different, and every day should be better. Today’s version must be better than yesterday’s. Every outstanding engineer and technical leader must maintain the ability to learn, especially the scope of their learning.
To expand on this, if you only study Computer Science, it’s certainly not enough. For example, you must study Economics. Why? Computer Science has a major limitation: it assumes that once you have an input, you get an output. This problem-solving approach has its benefits but also its limitations.
Take map navigation as an example. If you use a purely technical approach, you just move people from one congested area to another. Economics models problems differently. It starts by assuming an overall ecosystem where one person’s input is another person’s output. To describe a navigation problem through economics, you calculate an Equilibrium. Markets work the same way.
If you want to truly understand Deep Learning, you must relearn Physics, look at Biology, and study Evolutionary Theory. Because Deep Learning is closely related to these fields. You can’t figure it out on your own; to understand it thoroughly, you must study.
Also, study Product. I’ve always told engineers: if you don’t understand the product, you can’t be a top engineer. To truly be a world-class engineer, you need to understand not just the product but also the entire business and ecosystem. Your responsibility is to see the future—to project technology into future needs and prepare your platform, development flow, and team for that future. So, learning is incredibly important.
Ownership
Finally, it starts with me.
Our company has a grand mission: to simplify a complex world with technology. The world is very, very complex. Essentially, what humans do is “Reduce entropy.”
According to the Second Law of Thermodynamics, the world tends to become more chaotic. What we want to do is make it simpler and make our lives better.
Specifically, we can use AI technology to “awaken all things.” But all of this is built on the accumulated actions of every individual—starting with me. Then there is Ownership: if you see an opportunity, don’t ask others—just do it. If you see a problem, don’t ask others—Fix it.
Treat our mission and our company as your own personal career. I can tell you honestly: if you treat the company’s mission and business as your own and “Own everything,” your career will certainly move the fastest. Start with yourself, start with everything around you.
About Me && Blog
Below is my personal introduction and related links. I look forward to exchanging ideas with fellow professionals. “When three walk together, one can always be my teacher!”
- Blogger Intro: Includes personal WeChat and WeChat group links.
- Blog Content Navigation: A guide for my blog content.
- Curated Excellent Blog Articles - Android Performance Optimization Must-Knows: Welcome to recommend projects/articles.
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One walks faster alone, but a group walks further together.
