Core Insights - Alibaba's senior technical expert Cai Jingxian, known as "Duolong," has quietly left the company after 25 years of service, marking the end of a legendary career [1] - Duolong was a core member of the Taobao founding team and played a crucial role in the early development and maintenance of Taobao's search engine [1][3] - His departure reflects a broader trend within Alibaba, where the partner team has been significantly reduced from a peak of 38 to just 17 members, the lowest since the company's IPO in 2014 [3] Company Developments - Duolong's contributions were recognized when he became an Alibaba partner in 2014 due to his exceptional work on Taobao [3] - The partner team has seen significant changes, with nine partners, including notable figures like Peng Lei and Dai Shan, exiting this year [3] - The remaining partners include only four "founding elders," with the rest being frontline business leaders responsible for core areas such as e-commerce, cloud, and AI [3][5] Future Outlook - The remaining partners include younger members, such as Jiang Fan, the CEO of the e-commerce division, who is 39 years old, indicating a shift towards a younger leadership team [5] - The infusion of younger talent is expected to bring new energy to Alibaba's future development [5] - Duolong's legacy and technical contributions will continue to inspire younger technical talents within Alibaba [5]