Junyang Lin, Alibaba’s former AI architect, has stepped down as tech lead for Qwen, the company’s flagship AI platform. His abrupt departure, announced on X, has sent shockwaves through the tech community, with Alibaba’s shares plunging 5.3% in Hong Kong trading. Lin, a key figure in Alibaba’s AI pivot, co-developed Qwen, which underpins the company’s AI services and competes with OpenAI and Anthropic.

His exit raises questions about Alibaba’s ability to maintain its AI momentum amid global competition. Qwen’s advancements, including recent upgrades for AI agentic tasks, had positioned Alibaba as a leader in China’s AI race. Lin’s post-quit message, “me stepping down. bye my beloved qwen,” sparked thousands of reactions, including support from open-source developers. The move comes as Alibaba, under CEO Eddie Wu, has committed $53 billion to AI infrastructure, signaling long-term bets on super-intelligence. MiniMax Group, an Alibaba investee, praised Lin’s contributions, while another engineer also left, amplifying concerns about internal instability.