Major shake-up in Alibaba’s Qwen AI project; Junyang Lin resigns after new model launch

PNN Staff Report 

Alibaba’s AI initiative, Qwen, faces a major change as technology lead Junyang Lin resigns one day after the launch of the Qwen 3.5 small model series.

Lin joined Alibaba in July 2019 and worked with the Qwen team since April 2023. His departure has caused a stir in the tech community, with peers calling it “the end of an era.” Analysts note that leadership changes in a rapidly evolving AI landscape may influence strategic directions, though the project continues to pursue global competitiveness.