In a rare and public act of corporate soul-searching, the Alibaba Partnership Committee has issued a stern internal rebuke of the management practices at DingTalk, the company’s workplace communication subsidiary. The intervention followed a viral post by a former product manager titled 'Being Inside DingTalk,' which detailed an environment of extreme pressure and mechanical execution. The leadership's response, titled 'Sentiment, Meaning, and Growth: This is Alibaba Culture,' signals a definitive break from the grueling '996' ethos that has long defined China's tech giants.
The Partnership Committee, the highest governing body within Alibaba, stated unequivocally that the high-pressure management style described in the viral post is 'not what Alibaba culture should look like.' The committee emphasized that regardless of how urgent a task might be, management must never sacrifice mutual respect or the human dignity of its employees. This marks a significant shift in rhetoric for a company that was once the primary champion of relentless work hours as a path to success.
Central to this cultural pivot is the realization that the transition into the artificial intelligence era requires a fundamentally different approach to human capital. The memo argues that innovation in the age of AI cannot be forced through high-pressure tactics or 'mechanical execution.' Instead, the committee posits that AI-driven success depends on the passion and creativity of individuals who are treated with respect and granted the autonomy to innovate.
Furthermore, the leadership has redefined the role of managers from taskmasters to facilitators. Under the new guidelines, a leader’s primary responsibility is no longer just meeting KPIs, but rather 'nurturing and inspiring' their teams. The committee noted that as machines begin to handle more routine tasks, the 'human' element—characterized by empathy, diversity, and openness—becomes the most valuable asset a tech company possesses.