The Paper reporter Yang Yang
The rumors of Alibaba Group coaching change have landed.
On June 20th, Zhang Yong, Chairman and CEO of Alibaba Holding Group, announced through a full letter that the brand-new business cluster of Ali 1+6+N has basically taken shape, the boards of directors of various business groups have started to operate, and the listing and financing plans of multiple businesses have also been carried out. The holding group will mainly assume the role of innovation incubation base camp.
At the same time, Zhang Yong announced that the complete spin-off of Alibaba Cloud Intelligent Group has started, and it is in the most critical period of upward development, so we must devote ourselves wholeheartedly. At the same time, in order to adapt to the future development norms and requirements, it is not appropriate for him to serve as chairman and CEO of the two companies at the same time. With the approval of the Board of Directors of Alibaba Holding Group, Zhang Yong will step down as Chairman and CEO of the Board of Directors of Alibaba Holding Group on September 10th this year. After that, Zhang Yong will be the full-time chairman and CEO of Alibaba Cloud Intelligent Group, focusing on the development of Alibaba Cloud, continuously enhancing Alibaba Cloud’s industrial competitiveness and global competitiveness, and allowing Alibaba Cloud to provide better, safe and convenient basic services for the digital intelligence upgrade of various industries, especially small and medium-sized enterprises.
At the same time, with the approval of the board of directors of Alibaba Holding Group, Cai Chongxin, executive vice chairman of the group, will be the chairman of the board of directors of Alibaba Holding Group; Wu Yongming became the CEO of Alibaba Holding Group and continued to serve as the chairman of Taotian Group.
On June 20th, Zhang Yong officially started the handover with Cai Chongxin and Wu Yongming.
This year is the sixteenth year that Zhang Yong has worked in Ali. Zhang Yong joined Ali as the CFO of Taobao in 2007, became the CEO of Alibaba Group in May 2015, and became the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Alibaba Group in September 2019. Since December last year, he also served as the president of Alibaba Cloud Intelligent, and was directly in charge of nailing.
Jack Ma, founder of Alibaba Group, spoke highly of Zhang Yong. In 2019, when Ma Yun stepped down as the chairman of Ali’s board of directors, he published an open letter, in which he wrote, "(Zhang Yong) has demonstrated outstanding business talent and firm and calm leadership since he became the CEO of Alibaba Group, and achieved healthy and sustained growth in Alibaba’s performance for 13 consecutive quarters."
"Alibaba’s relay torch was handed over to him and the team he led. I think this is the most correct decision I should make now. My cooperation and cooperation experience with Zhang Yong in recent years has made me full of confidence in him and the new generation of Alibaba leadership team he led! "
For the new successor, Zhang Yong also expressed his support in an open letter. He wrote, "Cai Chongxin (Joe C.
Tsai) will succeed me as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Alibaba Group, Eddie Yongming.
Wu) will succeed me as CEO of Alibaba Group. Both of them are founders and partners of Alibaba. They have made important contributions to the historical development of Alibaba Group and have rich experience. I believe that under their leadership, the company can move towards a more brilliant future. "
Cai Chongxin is Ma Yun’s most trusted entrepreneur and is currently the executive vice chairman of Ali Group. From the establishment of the company in 1999 to 2013, he served as CFO of the group, and in 2014 he led the company to go public in new york, and then he was responsible for strategic investment.
Wu Yongming has served as the chief technology officer of many important businesses such as B2B, Taobao and Alipay, and led the construction of the underlying technical architecture of related businesses. Led the creation of the group’s core business, Ali Mama Platform, and the innovation hatched the mobile phone Taobao, which promoted the wireless of the group.
More than two months ago, Alibaba announced the establishment of a "1+6+N" organizational structure, that is, under Alibaba Group, six business groups and a number of business companies were established, including Alibaba Cloud Intelligent, Taobao Tmall Business, Local Life, International Digital Business, Rookie and Big Entertainment.
According to the "listing timetable" of Alibaba Group’s sub-board, Alibaba Cloud will be split up and listed independently in the next 12 months, and Cainiao and Box Horse will be listed within one and a half years, and the international digital business group will start external financing.
It is worth noting that some media reported that in late May, Ma Yun called the business leaders of Taotian Group and held a small-scale communication meeting. Dai Shan, CEO of Taotian Group, Hai Wang (flower name: Qigong), Liu Peng (flower name: Aowen) and Liu Yiman (flower name: Yiman), the head of Taobao live broadcast, Cheng Daofang (flower name: Daofang) were present.
Ma Yun said at the meeting that the methodology that Ali used to rely on for success may no longer be applicable and should be quickly changed. He pointed out three directions for Taotian Group: returning to Taobao, returning to users and returning to the Internet. In addition, Ma Yun believes that Taotian should be further flattened in organization.
Attached:
Zhang Yong, Chairman and CEO of Alibaba Group, sent a full letter on June 20.
Dear Ali people,
Since I became the CEO of Alibaba Group in May 2015, I have always written several letters to you every year. Maybe everyone is used to it. When you see the letter I sent to all employees, you will know that there are important changes in the company. I wrote to you again today, which brought you an important change about myself.
Since the "1+6+N" organizational reform was announced in March this year, all the work is progressing smoothly and orderly. When the financial report was released last quarter, we announced the composition of the boards of directors of various business groups, and at present, all the boards of directors have started to operate. We also announced a number of plans for various business groups and business units, including the complete spin-off and listing of Cloud Intelligence Group from Ali Group, the listing of Cainiao Group and Box Horse, and the independent financing of overseas digital business groups. The whole Alibaba is heading for the future with a new attitude.
As we all know, the development of core technologies such as cloud computing, big data and artificial intelligence will bring great changes to society, which is of great strategic significance. At present, the complete spin-off of Cloud Intelligence Group has started, and it is at the most critical moment, which requires me to devote myself to it. At the same time, considering the requirements of standardized corporate governance during the spin-off, I personally should no longer be the chairman and CEO of both groups. Therefore, the board of directors of Alibaba Group discussed and accepted my request: from September 10, 2023, I will no longer serve as the chairman and CEO of Alibaba Group, but concentrate on doing the work of chairman and CEO of Alibaba Cloud Intelligent Group full-time. At the same time, the board of directors of Alibaba Group decided that Cai Chongxin (Joe
C. Tsai) will succeed me as the chairman of the board of directors of Alibaba Group, Eddie Yongming.
Wu) will succeed me as CEO of Alibaba Group. Both of them are founders and partners of Alibaba. They have made important contributions to the historical development of Alibaba Group and have rich experience. I believe that under their leadership, the company can move towards a more brilliant future.
This change is not only for the company, but also for me personally, which is the beginning of another new stage and a new journey. How time flies! This year is my sixteenth year in Ali. I have been traveling together for 16 years, especially since I took over as CEO of the Group in 2015 and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Group in 2019. It is precisely because of your trust, support, encouragement and tolerance that I have devoted myself to this position that I never imagined. I am sincerely grateful and grateful to you. In the past 16 years, because of the opportunity of social progress and market development, I have the honor to witness the historical stage of Alibaba’s rapid development with you, and participated in many creations that have benefited ordinary people’s lives from scratch, from small to large, from the digital process of enterprises to the beautiful society; Together with all of you, we have withstood the challenges of COVID-19 epidemic in recent three years and various tests brought by external environmental changes. No matter in good times or bad times, we not only grew up together, experienced together and spent together, but also gained a lot of friendship and friendship more valuable than our career.
In the past 24 years, we have had many such moments of self-change. Now, we all stand at a new starting point together and start a new stage of future development through self-transformation. I believe that everyone will support the work of Joe and Wu Yongming and other senior students in the new group. Everyone can find their own stage and their own career, and finally contribute to society, achieve the company and achieve themselves. I will also stand on a brand-new stage with the students of Cloud Intelligence, and explore the new technologies of cloud computing, big data and artificial intelligence to serve the huge prospect of digitalization and intelligence in thousands of industries. I am full of longing and expectation for this.
Castle peak will not change, green water will flow forever, create a new river and lake, meet again, and be happy!
Zhang Yong (Xiaoyao Zi)
Chairman and CEO of Alibaba Group Board of Directors
Chairman and CEO of Alibaba Cloud Intelligent Group
June 20, 2023
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