When "3bat" (referring to 360, Baidu, Alibaba, Tencent) wants to sit at a table playing mahjong, who catches "Sogou" and who draws the cards? After the news spread yesterday that Sogou was seeking to sell, with Baidu, 360, and Tencent participating in the bidding, Sogou CEO Wang Xiaochuan called it "unreliable".

Regarding the "rumors" about Sogou's sale, investment industry sources have confidently stated that Baidu, 360, and Tencent are all bidding for it, with 360 being the most active bidder, but Baidu has offered a higher price and negotiations are currently underway.

Sogou has encountered a bottleneck in its development, and under the pressure of the two major camps of Baidu and 360, its market share is difficult to continue to grow. About six months ago, it had intentions to sell. This source said that 360 offered about $1.4 billion and conducted the transaction through cash and stock exchange, while Baidu had more cash, and Tencent joined because it did not want Sogou to be taken over by 360.

Sogou is no longer just a simple input method provider, and in recent years has developed business chains such as browsers and searches. According to data from third-party organization CNZZ, in April 2013, Baidu's market share in search engines was 67.21%; Ranked second in 360 search, with a market share of 14.94%; Sogou ranks third with a market share of 9.15%.