Alibaba woos back DingTalk founder to lead office app's AI push
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Chen Hang, who created the app in 2015 and left Alibaba in 2021 to pursue his own venture, will return as the new DingTalk CEO. The news comes as Alibaba, which owns the South China Morning Post, plans to acquire a stake in Chen's Hangzhou-based start-up HHO, the representative said.
HHO has raised at least two funding rounds since its launch, with backing from venture capital funds, including Vision Plus Capital, an investment firm started by Alibaba CEO Eddie Wu Yongming, according to Chinese corporate database Tianyancha.
The leadership reshuffle was first reported by Chinese tech news outlet 36Kr on Monday. Ye Jun, the former CEO of DingTalk, will transition to a new role within Alibaba, according to 36Kr. He is currently working in Alibaba's CEO office, according to his DingTalk page.
The changes highlight Alibaba's intensified focus on AI, as the Hangzhou-based firm seeks to capitalise on the global frenzy around generative AI models and specialised applications, an area of particular focus for the company.
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DingTalk, with 700 million users as of the end of 2023, is seen as a key asset in Alibaba's AI strategy. The app generated more than US$200 million in annual recurring revenue – primarily from subscriptions – in the first half of the company's financial year, covering the six months through September.
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