Alibaba Reflects on "Inside DingTalk": Organizational Culture Requires Respect and Trust

Author | Huang Yu

In the fierce AI battlefield, organizational and talent stability are key to determining victory. Following the widespread external attention sparked by a 70,000-word resignation letter titled "Inside DingTalk" published by a DingTalk employee, the Alibaba Partnership Committee has finally stepped in.

On June 10, the Alibaba Partnership Committee posted an article titled "Affection, Loyalty, and Growth Define Alibaba Culture" on the company's internal network.

The post directly responded to the public opinion turmoil caused by the recent resignation letter "Inside DingTalk" published by a former DingTalk product manager, criticizing the management style of the DingTalk team in strong terms.

The Alibaba Partnership Committee stated: "Everyone agrees that under no circumstances, no matter how urgent the task, should the management style mentioned in the post regarding the DingTalk team occur. This approach has never been the direction advocated by Alibaba culture, nor is it what Alibaba culture should look like."

For Alibaba, which has continuously emphasized entrepreneurial spirit, organizational efficiency, and business competitiveness in recent years, such a public correction is unusual.

To some extent, this is both a response to internal management controversies at DingTalk and a signal release from Alibaba as it redefines its organizational culture in the AI era.

In the post, the Alibaba Partnership Committee emphasized that Alibaba employees come together because of mutual trust to accomplish valuable things together. "Mutual respect, treating people as humans, and having affection and loyalty" are the foundational colors of Alibaba's culture. No matter how times change or technology develops, these principles must not change.

More notably, the committee directly linked this issue to the AI era.

The post pointed out that Alibaba's future lies in innovation, but innovation has never relied on high pressure and mechanical execution, especially in the AI era.

In other words, in Alibaba's view, facing a new round of AI technology competition, organizations do not need stronger control, but rather higher-quality mechanisms to inspire talent.

This statement actually reflects Alibaba management's judgment on future competition models.

During the period of rapid growth in the internet industry, management styles such as "996" and "wolf culture" were regarded by some companies as efficiency tools. However, in the AI era, technological breakthroughs increasingly rely on the creativity of top talent and cross-team collaboration capabilities, and the marginal benefits brought by relying solely on high-pressure management are declining.

In fact, as the DingTalk incident unfolded, the entire Alibaba Group was also undergoing a new round of organizational change centered around AI.

On June 8, Alibaba announced the merger of the Tongyi Large Model Business Unit and the Future Life Laboratory to establish the Token Foundry Business Unit, directly overseen by Group CEO Eddie Wu.

At the same time, Zhou Jingren will serve as Alibaba's first-ever Group Chief Scientist, leading the establishment of the AI Future Research Institute; Zheng Bo will lead projects such as Happy Horse and Happy Oyster into the Token Foundry Business Unit.

This marks the third major adjustment at the AI organizational level since Alibaba established the ATH Business Group in March 2026 and formed the Group Technology Committee in April.

In recent years, as competition in large models has intensified, Alibaba has been concentrating resources on its AI strategy. Around this goal, Alibaba has been strengthening the coordination of core technical resources.

For Alibaba, the key resource for future competition is not just computing power and models, but also talent capable of continuously creating innovative results.

Therefore, when the Partnership Committee emphasizes that "in the AI era, people are the most valuable asset" and "cultivating and inspiring people is the responsibility of every Leader," it is actually defining the boundaries for Alibaba's future organizational competitiveness.

From this perspective, the DingTalk incident may have been just a trigger.

What is truly worth noting is that after going all-in on AI, Alibaba is re-answering an old question: When a technological revolution arrives, what kind of organizational culture can sustainably foster innovation.

Appendix: Original Text of Alibaba Internal Network Post

"Affection, Loyalty, and Growth Define Alibaba Culture"

Dear Colleagues:

In recent days, the company's Partnership Organization has noticed the discussions triggered internally and externally by the post "Inside DingTalk" on the internal network. The partners have also seriously discussed the current team culture at DingTalk. Everyone agrees that under no circumstances, no matter how urgent the task, should the management style mentioned in the post regarding the DingTalk team occur. This approach has never been the direction advocated by Alibaba culture, nor is it what Alibaba culture should look like.

Alibaba employees come together because of mutual trust to accomplish meaningful and valuable things together. Mutual respect, treating people as humans, and having affection and loyalty are the foundational colors of our culture. No matter how times change or technology develops, Alibaba must never change these foundations.

Alibaba's future lies in innovation, but innovation has never relied on high pressure and mechanical execution, especially in the AI era. Alibaba's innovation must rely on the passion and creativity of every colleague. We firmly believe that only by fully respecting the individual value of every colleague can we truly create customer value and move towards the future.

Team atmosphere is the primary responsibility of managers at all levels. A Leader's responsibility is foresight, proactive accountability, and uniting and motivating the team. People are Alibaba's most valuable asset; cultivating and inspiring people is the responsibility of every Leader. In the AI era, when machines can replace many tasks previously done by humans, people have become our most valuable asset. In the AI era, we need to persist in having affection and loyalty, and jointly cultivate an open, inclusive, and diverse work culture.

Partnership Committee

June 10, 2026