Softwarehersteller: Nach Sanktionen der USA: SAP-Aufsichtsrat legt Mandat nieder

Düsseldorf. A global conflict between the United States and China is affecting various parts of the world, including the SAP supervisory board, according to US investor Qi Lu. Qi Lu, a US-based investor with Chinese roots, has resigned from SAP's supervisory board, citing personal reasons, according to a SAP statement on Wednesday.

The resignation comes in the wake of sanctions imposed by the US Department of State on Lu's risk capital fund, Miracle Plus, on October 19. The sanctions were imposed due to an investment made by Miracle Plus in Shanghai Zhisuan Technology, a startup accused of violating Google's trade secrets. The US government alleged that Miracle Plus provided significant funding and benefited from the theft of American intellectual property.

The sanctions include an asset freeze, restrictions on transactions with US banks, and a ban on significant investments by US citizens. The law behind the sanctions, the Protecting American Intellectual Property Act (PAIPA), is aimed at foreign individuals involved in the theft of trade secrets. Senator Chris van Hollen, the initiator of the law, highlighted China as the primary focus in the legislative process.

Qi Lu, born in 1961, is a US citizen with Chinese roots. He studied computer science in Shanghai until 1987 and earned his PhD in 1996 in Pittsburgh. He then pursued a career in the technology industry, working for IBM, Yahoo, Microsoft, and Baidu, where he served as Chief Operating Officer, focusing on AI, from 2016 to 2018. Since 2018, Qi Lu has been an investor in startups, primarily through Miracle Plus, which he still leads.

He joined SAP's supervisory board in 2020 due to his expertise in technology. Following his resignation, SAP's board can appoint a new representative, pending a shareholder meeting to decide on the personnel change.