程序员的那些事·2025-08-15 03:06Core Viewpoint - The departure of Cai Jingxian, a key figure in Alibaba's early development, marks a significant shift in the company's leadership and reflects ongoing structural changes within Alibaba as it focuses on core business areas and younger management teams [1][6]. Group 1: Background of Cai Jingxian - Cai Jingxian, known as "Duolong," was one of the original developers of Taobao and is recognized as the first programmer of Taobao [2]. - He joined Alibaba in 2000 after graduating with a master's degree from Hangzhou University and played a crucial role in building the Taobao website and its transaction and forum systems [2][4]. - From 2003 to 2007, Cai was solely responsible for the development and maintenance of Taobao's search engine, showcasing his exceptional technical skills [4]. Group 2: Partnership and Recognition - Cai became an Alibaba partner in September 2014 after a rigorous selection process that included contributions to Taobao and technical expertise [4][5]. - The partnership selection process at Alibaba is stringent, requiring candidates to have worked for at least five years and to be nominated by existing partners [4][5]. - Cai was recognized for his significant contributions to the business and was described as someone who could focus intensely on coding [5]. Group 3: Recent Developments and Implications - Cai's exit from the partnership comes amid a broader trend of reducing the number of partners at Alibaba, with a total of 17 remaining, the lowest since the company's IPO in 2014 [6]. - The ongoing reduction of partners, including the recent exits of nine partners, indicates Alibaba's shift towards a more streamlined and business-focused leadership structure [6]. - The departure of Cai signifies the end of an era for a technical legend at Alibaba and highlights the company's strategy to adapt to changing market conditions by promoting younger leadership [6].