In a surprising development within Alibaba Group’s artificial intelligence sector, Lin Junyang, the leader of the company’s Qwen AI model division, announced on Wednesday that he would be resigning from his position. This marks the third significant departure from the Qwen leadership team in 2024 alone, signaling notable changes within the division. Lin’s farewell message, posted on the social media platform X, was brief and emotional, simply stating, “Bye my beloved Qwen,” without offering any further details or reasons for his decision.
Adding to the wave of exits, Yu Bowen, who was responsible for overseeing post-training processes for the Qwen AI models, also stepped down on the same day. This information was highlighted by Chinese media outlet LatePost, underscoring a pattern of turnover among key personnel in the division. Earlier this year, in January, Hui Binyuan, a research scientist specializing in coding-related AI work, had already left the team. Despite multiple attempts, none of the three executives have provided comments on their departures, and Alibaba has remained silent on the matter as well.
The timing of these resignations is particularly noteworthy given the recent surge in Qwen’s popularity and product updates. Just two days prior to Lin’s announcement, Qwen rolled out new versions of its AI offerings, which have been met with significant user engagement. The mobile application for Qwen experienced a dramatic increase in monthly active users, soaring from 31.05 million in January to an impressive 203 million in February. This rapid growth has propelled Qwen to become the third most popular AI app worldwide, trailing only behind OpenAI’s ChatGPT and ByteDance’s Doubao, data from AICPB.com, a platform that monitors AI product trends.
This surge in user numbers coincided with aggressive promotional campaigns launched by major Chinese technology firms during the Lunar New Year holidays, aiming to attract a broader audience to their AI platforms. Alibaba, in particular, has been proactive in expanding its AI footprint, having released over 400 open-source Qwen models since 2023. These models have collectively been downloaded more than one billion times, reflecting the company’s commitment to fostering innovation and accessibility in the AI space.
Meanwhile, Alibaba’s stock performance on Wednesday afternoon reflected some investor unease, with shares dropping by 4%. This decline outpaced the broader Hong Kong market’s 2.8% fall, which was influenced by widespread concerns over geopolitical tensions stemming from the conflict in Iran. The market reaction underscores the complex environment in which Alibaba is operating, balancing rapid technological advancements with external economic and political pressures.
As Alibaba navigates these leadership changes within its Qwen AI division, industry watchers will be closely observing how the company manages to sustain its momentum in the highly competitive artificial intelligence sector. The departures raise questions about internal dynamics at Qwen, but the division’s recent achievements suggest that Alibaba remains a formidable player in the global AI race.
