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Article: Alibaba recruits Google DeepMind contributor to join Qwen AI team, sources say

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5 / 10

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Alibaba has recruited Zhou Hao, a former Google DeepMind research scientist, to lead post-training research for its Qwen AI models. This is part of an internal reshuffle that included the departure of the previous technical lead, Lin Junyang.

The move aligns with Alibaba's efforts to streamline and accelerate the commercialization of its AI products, including the Qwen app and AI glasses. The company recently merged its various AI units under one organization to advance this strategy.

The main topics covered are a key executive hire, an internal restructuring of the AI team, and Alibaba's commercial strategy for its AI models.

Original URL

https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3345471/alibaba-recruits-google-deepmind-contributor-join-qwen-ai-team-sources-say?utm_source=rss_feed

Source Feed

Tech - South China Morning Post

Published Date

2026-03-04 14:36

Fetched Date

2026-03-04 14:29

Processed Date

2026-03-04 15:29

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Present

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Raw Extracted Content

Alibaba recruits Google DeepMind contributor to join Qwen AI team, sources say
Zhou Hao to join as head of post-training research, sources say, as technical lead Lin Junyang departs in reshuffle
Alibaba Group Holding has recruited a research scientist from Google DeepMind to bolster development efforts for its Qwen artificial intelligence models, in an internal restructuring that has seen the departure of previous technical lead Lin Junyang.
While no successor to Lin was announced, former Google senior staff research scientist Zhou Hao was joining Alibaba as head of post-training research, replacing Yu Bowen, who also departed this week, two sources said.
Zhou, who holds a PhD from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, was a key contributor to the US tech giant’s acclaimed proprietary AI products, including Gemini 3, AI Mode and Deep Research, according to his LinkedIn profile.
In recent months, Alibaba has accelerated efforts to monetise growing global adoption of its models. It launched its flagship AI consumer app Qwen in November, powered by the company’s biggest Qwen-Max models, which have remained proprietary. Alibaba owns the South China Morning Post.
To streamline its commercial AI strategy, which now includes the Qwen app and AI glasses, Alibaba recently merged these different units under one organisational umbrella.
Alibaba did not respond to a request for comment.