<div id="readability-page-1"><div><div>Alibaba Group BABA has become a prime target in China’s artificial intelligence (AI) talent war as rival tech giants poach senior experts from its Tongyi Lab, the developer of the widely used open-source Qwen models.Top departures include Yan Zhijie, an early member of Alibaba’s Damo Academy and former head of Tongyi’s speech lab, who left in February and recently joined JD.com’s JD Explore Academy after a brief stint at Tencent TCEHY.Bo Liefeng, former head of Tongyi’s applied vision division, also left to join Tencent’s Hunyuan AI model team, SCMP reported on Friday.Also Read: Alibaba’s New AI Glasses Let You Pay, Navigate, And MoreThe exits follow earlier talent losses, including key algorithm engineer Zhou Chang, who left for ByteDance last year, triggering a non-compete lawsuit from Alibaba.The company’s Qwen models have surpassed 400 million global downloads, spawning 140,000 derivative models.Alibaba recently launched its “Star Top Talent Recruitment and Development Programme” to attract elite AI researchers, mirroring an aggressive industry-wide push by ByteDance, Tencent, and JD.com to secure top scientists and engineers in a recruitment race comparable to that of U.S. tech leaders like Meta Platforms META, Alphabet GOOGL Google, and OpenAI.Alibaba Group stock has gained 42% year-to-date, driven by advancements in AI and its strategic partnership with Apple AAPL. Alibaba co-founder and Chair Joe Tsai open-sourced its Qwen models to drive demand for AI applications and cloud computing. The company committed at least 380 billion yuan ($52 billion) in cloud computing and AI infrastructure over the next three years.Price Action: BABA shares are trading lower by 0.01% to $120.34 premarket at last check on Monday.<ul> <li>Alibaba, Chinese Tech Firms Slash AI Model Prices To Win Developers</li> </ul></div></div></div>

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Alibaba is facing intense competition for AI talent as rivals like JD.com and Tencent lure away key engineers from its Tongyi Lab, which developed the popular Qwen models. Notable departures include Yan Zhijie and Bo Liefeng. In response, Alibaba has launched a recruitment program to attract top AI researchers, amid a broader industry push for talent. Despite these challenges, Alibaba's stock has risen 42% this year, supported by AI advancements and a partnership with Apple, although shares dipped slightly to $120.34 in premarket trading.

- Alibaba Group is facing a talent drain in its AI division as competitors like JD.com and Tencent recruit key experts from its Tongyi Lab.  
- Notable departures include Yan Zhijie and Bo Liefeng, who joined rival companies after leaving Alibaba, prompting a non-compete lawsuit over previous talent losses.  
- In response, Alibaba has initiated a recruitment program to attract elite AI researchers, while its stock has risen 42% this year, supported by significant investments in AI and cloud infrastructure.

Alibaba Faces Fierce AI Talent Poaching As Rivals Lure Top Qwen Model Engineers