Baidu (NASDAQ: BIDU) is the 800-pound gorilla of China's search market, with a 76% share of the overall market, according to StatCounter. Its closest rival, Sogou (NYSE: SOGO), ranks a distant second with an 11% share. Baidu dominates PC and mobile searches, but Sogou actually leads the growing market for voice searches. Let's see how Sogou took over that niche market and whether Baidu can fend off this disruptive challenger.
Sogou launched Sogou Pinyin, a multiplatform replacement keyboard for typing Chinese characters, more than a decade ago. Its first-mover advantage made it China's dominant input method, and it eventually added voice typing and searches to the app.
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