The executive overseeing Alibaba Group’s artificial intelligence platform announced his departure Wednesday, marking an unexpected leadership change at one of China’s major tech companies.
Lin Junyang, who directed the Qwen AI model division, revealed his resignation through a social media post on X, simply stating “Bye my beloved Qwen” without elaborating on his reasons for leaving.
The timing of Lin’s announcement is notable, occurring just two days following Alibaba’s launch of enhanced AI products. Neither Lin nor company representatives have responded to media inquiries seeking additional details about the departure.
The Qwen platform has experienced remarkable expansion in recent months, with its mobile app attracting 203 million monthly active users in February – a dramatic increase from the 31.05 million users recorded in January, according to AICPB.com, which monitors artificial intelligence applications.
This substantial user growth positioned Qwen as the world’s third-largest AI application, trailing only OpenAI’s ChatGPT and ByteDance’s Doubao platform.
Industry analysts attribute the rapid user acquisition to intensive marketing efforts by Chinese technology companies during the Lunar New Year holiday period, when firms competed aggressively to expand their customer base.
