Alibaba Poaches Google DeepMind Research Scientist For Qwen AI Push

Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. is strengthening its artificial intelligence push by hiring a key contributor from  Alphabet Inc. Google DeepMind to join its Qwen AI team.

The Chinese e-commerce juggernaut has hired a research scientist from Google DeepMind to strengthen the development of its Qwen AI models, following an internal reshuffle that included the departure of former technical lead Lin Junyang.

The company appointed Zhou Hao, previously a senior staff research scientist at Google, as head of post-training research, SCMP reported on Wednesday, citing sources familiar with the matter.

Zhou replaces Yu Bowen, who also left the company this week.

Alibaba has not announced a successor to Lin.

Zhou, who holds a PhD from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, previously contributed to several Google AI products, including Gemini 3, AI Mode, and Deep Research, according to his LinkedIn profile.

Qwen AI Tech Lead Steps Down

Junyang Lin, the technical leader behind Alibaba’s Qwen AI model, stepped down from the project in a surprise move that sparked strong reactions from the developer community.

Lin, also known as Justin, announced on X that he was leaving his role as Qwen’s tech lead without providing further details.

Alibaba Shares Slide With Chinese Tech Peers

Alibaba shares were down 2.57% at $129.85 during premarket trading on Thursday, according to Benzinga Pro data.

Alibaba’s stock has declined nearly 5% over the past 12 months, significantly underperforming the Nasdaq Composite Index, which delivered gains of roughly 23% over the same period.

U.S.-listed Chinese tech stocks slipped in premarket trading Thursday after Beijing set a 2026 GDP growth target of 4.5%–5%, the lowest since the early 1990s.

Shares of Alibaba, NIO Inc., JD.com Inc. , and Baidu Inc. moved lower as investors reacted to the weaker economic outlook.

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