'When we meet again, may we all be carefree': Read the outgoing Alibaba CEO's memo to staff

My chap Aliren,

Since becoming CEO of Alibaba Group successful May 2015, it has go my customized to nonstop respective letters to everyone each year. As galore of you person travel to expect erstwhile receiving specified a letter, it often signals a important organizational change. Today is nary exception. This time, however, the quality I'm sharing involves an important idiosyncratic change.

I americium pleased to study that our organizational translation into the "1+6+N" exemplary has been progressing arsenic planned since we made the announcement. During our astir caller net announcement, we introduced the committee of directors for each of the six large concern groups, and these entities are present each afloat operational. We besides announced plans for a bid of important transactions, which see Cloud Intelligence Group's afloat spin-off and listing arsenic an autarkic company, IPOs for Cainiao Smart Logistics and Freshippo, and outer superior raising for AIDC. Alibaba volition person a brand-new outlook for the future.

As everyone is good aware, the improvement of halfway technologies specified arsenic unreality computing, large information and AI volition pb to a tremendous translation of our nine and is of utmost strategical significance. Cloud Intelligence Group is present afloat velocity up connected its spin-off plans and we are approaching a important signifier of the process, truthful it is the close clip for maine to dedicate my afloat attraction and clip to the business. From a firm governance perspective, we besides request wide separation betwixt the committee and absorption squad arsenic Cloud Intelligence Group proceeds down the way to becoming an autarkic nationalist company. It would beryllium inappropriate for maine to proceed serving arsenic Chairman and CEO of some companies astatine the aforesaid clip during the spin-off process. Therefore, the Alibaba committee of directors has discussed and accepted my program to modulation from the relation of Chairman and CEO of Alibaba Group to absorption exclusively connected my relation arsenic Chairman and CEO of Cloud Intelligence Group, effectual September 10th 2023. In turn, the Alibaba committee of directors has appointed Joseph C. Tsai to win maine arsenic Chairman and Eddie Yongming Wu to win maine arsenic Chief Executive Officer. As co-founders and partners of the company, Joe and Eddie person made important contributions to the company's improvement and person a wealthiness of invaluable experience. I person each assurance that their enactment volition usher Alibaba toward caller heights.

This alteration signifies a caller signifier and caller journey, not lone for the institution but besides for maine personally. Time flies, and this twelvemonth marks my 16th twelvemonth astatine Alibaba Group. My assignment arsenic CEO and Chairman of Alibaba Group was beyond my imagination. Being capable to afloat dedicate myself to the roles for arsenic agelong arsenic I person is genuinely owed to the trust, support, encouragement, and patience I person received from everyone. For this, I americium everlastingly profoundly grateful. Due to the humanities opportunities that emerged done societal advancement and marketplace improvement implicit the past 16 years, I had the privilege of witnessing the accelerated maturation of Alibaba and participated alongside everyone successful truthful galore achievements from inception to maturation that has impacted people's mundane lives, enabled the integer translation of businesses, and made affirmative contributions to society. Together we withstood the challenges brought astir by the pandemic and weathered the uncertainties of the macro situation implicit the past 3 years. Through prosperity and adversity, we grew stronger, shared unforgettable experiences, and persevered done it each together. I americium grateful for the friendships and bonds forged during this travel that is much invaluable and meaningful to maine than thing else.

Over the past 24 years, we person initiated self-reinvention galore times. Today, we are each lasting unneurotic astatine a caller starting point, hoping to unlock caller maturation done self-transformation. I cognize everyone volition proceed to enactment Joe, Eddie, and the caller elder absorption team. I anticipation everyone volition find the champion way and level for themselves. Your self-fulfilment volition payment nine and the company, but much importantly, hopefuly volition assistance you observe however to beryllium the champion mentation of yourself. The squad astatine Cloud Intelligence Group and I are besides lasting connected a marque caller stage, and we volition leverage the powerfulness of caller exertion successful unreality computing, large data, and artificial quality to service the integer translation of enterprises of each sizes and industries and seizure the monolithic imaginable brought astir by AI. I americium incredibly anxious and excited.

My friends, the scenery whitethorn evolve, but the mountains stay and the rivers volition proceed to flow. Let's commencement a caller chapter. When we conscionable again, whitethorn we each beryllium carefree!

Daniel Zhang

Alibaba Group Chairman and CEO
Alibaba Cloud Intelligence Group Chairman and CEO
2023.6.20