36氪·2025-04-01 00:34Core Insights - Alibaba Group plans to acquire shares from Chen Hang (Wuzhao), the founder of the company "Two Hydrogen and One Oxygen," with the intention of appointing him as the new CEO of DingTalk. The former CEO, Ye Jun (Huajing), will return to Alibaba Group [3][4] - DingTalk has become the largest enterprise service collaboration application in China, boasting over 700 million users and more than 5,600 ecosystem partners across 20 national economic sectors [3][4] - The return of Wuzhao aligns with Alibaba's current AI strategy, emphasizing a user-first and AI-driven approach, as the company refocuses on its core business [6][4] Company Developments - Wuzhao, a key figure in Alibaba's To B business, originally created DingTalk from scratch, which has now become a flagship product within Alibaba's ecosystem [3][4] - After leaving DingTalk in 2020, Wuzhao attempted to establish a new venture, "Two Hydrogen and One Oxygen," focusing on cross-border e-commerce, but the "Cloud-DingTalk Integration" strategy did not last long [6][4] - In August 2023, DingTalk was separated from Alibaba Cloud and returned to the Alibaba Group, which reflects a shift in strategy as the company aims to consolidate its operations [6][4] Strategic Shifts - The "Cloud-DingTalk Integration" strategy was initially aimed at boosting Alibaba Cloud's revenue, but it created conflicting goals with DingTalk's focus on scale [4] - Following the departure of Zhang Yong (Xiaoyaozi), Alibaba has undergone a series of reforms led by Wu Yongming, reaffirming its commitment to AI and user-centric strategies [6][4] - Alibaba's AI flagship application "New Quark" was launched in March 2025, indicating a renewed focus on consumer-facing products and the exploration of new AI product forms [6][4]