BUSINESS

Alibaba Elevates Tech Chief Wu Zeming to Leadership Committee

Published: Jun. 2, 2026 6:07 p.m. GMT+8

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Wu Zeming.

Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. Chief Technology Officer Wu Zeming has joined the company’s highest decision-making body, the partnership committee, replacing retiring member Shao Xiaofeng.

Wu, born in 1982, is the second committee member born in the 1980s, following Jiang Fan. Following this latest adjustment, the committee’s five members are Jack Ma, Joseph Tsai, Wu Yongming, Jiang and Wu Zeming.

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Wu Zeming, Alibaba's CTO, replaces retiring member Shao Xiaofeng on the partnership committee, becoming the second 1980s-born member after Jiang Fan.
The reshuffle emphasizes AI focus; Wu also joined a new AI-focused technology committee in April 2025.
Alibaba's partnership shrank to 17 partners from 26 in the prior fiscal year, with more tech leaders like Zhou Jingren joining.

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Who’s Who

Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.: Alibaba Group Holding Ltd., a Chinese e-commerce giant, elevated CTO Wu Zeming to its partnership committee, replacing retiring member Shao Xiaofeng. The committee now includes Jack Ma, Joseph Tsai, Wu Yongming, Jiang Fan, and Wu. Alibaba is prioritizing AI and cloud computing, with its partnership shrinking from 28 to 17 members in two years.

Taobao: Taobao is Alibaba's e-commerce platform where Wu Zeming began his career in 2004. He later led Ele.me, rebranded as Taobao Instant Commerce. The article highlights Alibaba's strategic focus on AI and e-commerce, with Taobao as a core business within its ecosystem.

Ele.me: Ele.me is a Chinese food delivery platform owned by Alibaba Group. In February 2025, Wu Zeming was appointed CEO of Ele.me, which was later rebranded as Taobao Instant Commerce. The company is a key part of Alibaba's e-commerce ecosystem, focusing on local services and instant delivery.

Alibaba Cloud: Alibaba Cloud is a key strategic priority for Alibaba, providing the infrastructure to support AI adoption across its ecosystem. The company views AI and cloud computing as primary growth engines reshaping industries, with Alibaba Cloud powering this transformation.

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What Happened When

Before 2004：: Wu Zeming joined Taobao in 2004 (prior to this date).

2022：: Wu Zeming became Alibaba's first CTO born in the 1980s, while also taking on the role of vice president of Damo Academy.

2023：: Shao Xiaofeng joined the partnership committee.

By February 2025：: Wu Zeming was appointed CEO of delivery platform Ele.me (later rebranded as Taobao Instant Commerce).

As of fiscal year ended March 31, 2025：: Alibaba's partners fell to 17 from 26 a year earlier and 28 two years earlier.

October 2025：: Zhou Jingren became an Alibaba partner.

2026：: Shao Xiaofeng reached retirement age of 60, stepped down from the committee and ceased to be a partner; Wu Zeming replaced him as partnership committee member, making him the second 1980s-born member after Jiang Fan.

April 2026：: Alibaba established a new group-level technology committee focused on AI, with Wu Zeming among its members; he also stepped down as CEO of Taobao Instant Commerce to focus on business technology and AI inference platforms.