As reported by the Science and Technology Innovation Board Daily on April 28, 2026, Baidu circulated a company-wide memo on the same day, unveiling a substantial restructuring of its job level framework. Commencing May 1, 2026, Baidu will fully merge the separate career progression routes for professional and managerial staff beneath the middle management tier. This move will see the discontinuation of the former alphabetical job level designations—T, P, E, Band, and M—replacing them with a unified numerical system, ranging from Level 5 to Level 12. Baidu explained that the advent of the AI era necessitates a workforce equipped with both specialized knowledge and leadership capabilities, prompting the consolidation of professional and managerial tracks into a singular career advancement pathway.
