Jack Ma and Zhang Yiming return, China's tech community is excited

After a long absence, Jack Ma and Zhang Yiming both reappeared, signaling new competition between Chinese technology corporations in the AI era.

Sự trở lại của Jack Ma báo hiệu thời kỳ công nghệ mới tại Trung Quốc. Ảnh: Bloomberg. — Jack Ma's return signals a new era of technology in China. Photo: Bloomberg.

Two iconic founders of China's Internet industry, Jack Ma and Zhang Yiming, have reappeared in public after a long period of silence.

On October 9, Zhang Yiming, founder of ByteDance, made his first public appearance in China after more than four years of stepping down as executive director. He spoke at the opening ceremony of the Zhichun Innovation Center in Shanghai, a non-profit organization he co-founded.

The center aims to train young talents in the field of computer science and AI, focusing on creativity as well as practical application.

Former Tik Tok CEO returns to the tech industry after 4 years of leaving his executive position.

In his speech, Truong Nhat Minh compared the “overfitting” situation in machine learning technology to the weakness of the current training system, where too many people are good at their profession but lack independent thinking.

He said the center's goal is to nurture individuals who are capable of self-learning and innovation rather than just being technically proficient.

Although this is a social activity, the appearance of Zhang Yiming is still considered a strategic signal for ByteDance. After his withdrawal, the company has strongly shifted to the field of AI, from an "app factory" to a global technology corporation.

According to multiple sources, since late 2024, Mr. Truong has returned to participate in discussions on strategies for the company's AI models and core technologies.

A day earlier, Jack Ma also attracted attention when he appeared with Alibaba Chairman Joseph Tsai at a private party with the NBA basketball team Brooklyn Nets in the US.

This is just one of many times he has reappeared in 2025, from private business forums, meetings at Alibaba Cloud Valley to directly overseeing the operations of Ele.me and Taobao Flash Sale.

Observers say Jack Ma's return reflects a major strategic shift at Alibaba. After a difficult period with declining market share and a divisive "1+6+N" model, the e-commerce giant is undergoing a comprehensive restructuring under the leadership of Joseph Tsai and Wu Yongming. J

ack Ma plays a strategic advisory role, focusing on two pillars: AI and consumer platforms.

Earlier this year, Alibaba announced a 380 billion yuan ($53.4 billion) investment over the next three years to develop AI and cloud infrastructure. Alibaba Cloud revenue increased 26% year-on-year in the most recent quarter, while AI-related products recorded triple-digit growth for several consecutive quarters.

In the consumer segment, the Flash Sale program combined with Ele.me has helped the number of orders exceed 80 million per day, thanks to the subsidy campaign.

The apparent change in strategy has helped Alibaba’s shares more than double since the start of the year, bringing its market capitalization back to HK$3 trillion (US$385 billion). Investors see this as a sign of recovery for the one-time e-commerce giant.

Not only Jack Ma and Zhang Yiming, Richard Liu, founder of JD.com also returned this year. He directly directed the business operations and expanded into the food delivery and e-commerce fields.

The return of three iconic entrepreneurs shows that China's technology industry is entering a period of reshaping, where AI, data and people become the three key pillars for the new decade.