At a critical moment when the hype around large model startups is cooling down and the industry is entering a "calm period," Lee Kai-fu's 01.AI is making a key personnel restructuring to show its determination to break through in commercialization. The company recently announced the appointment of three core executives, focusing entirely on ToB (enterprise services) and ToG (government services) business, marking a shift in its strategic focus from technological exploration to value delivery.

In this adjustment, co-founder Shen Pengfei has been given a significant responsibility, taking full charge of domestic ToB/ToG business and sales system building. This seasoned professional with 26 years of experience in the IT and internet industry once worked at Baidu and led several large-scale government and enterprise projects, regarded as the "flagbearer" for 01.AI's entry into the enterprise market. His appointment aims to bridge the last mile from AI capabilities to industry implementation.

At the same time, two core team members have been promoted to vice presidents: Zhao Binqiang, a former senior algorithm expert at Alibaba, will continue to focus on technical support for AI large models and specialized products; Ning Ning, with 20 years of experience in AI and enterprise services, will be responsible for international business expansion and AI consulting implementation, driving 01.AI's global layout.

Lee Kai-fu emphasized internally that enterprise AI transformation must be a "top-level project" — only when the CEO personally drives it can AI be truly embedded in core business processes, achieving "value delivery through AI." This philosophy has become the core methodology for 01.AI to serve its customers.

This personnel change is not an isolated event but a reflection of the collective transformation of Chinese large model startups. Once thriving together as the "Six Small Dragons of Large Models," they are now seeking their own paths: some are betting on open-source ecosystems, others are focusing on vertical scenarios, while 01.AI has chosen to deeply integrate with Alibaba Cloud, focusing on enterprise-level AI solutions, trying to carve out a differentiated path in the red ocean.

However, challenges remain severe. Tightened financing environments, reduced customer budgets, and product homogenization issues make commercialization a life-or-death line. Whether Lee Kai-fu can lead 01.AI from technological leadership to commercial success with his industry insights and resource integration capabilities remains to be tested by the market.

But one thing is certain: in this new stage where AI is moving from "showy tricks" to "practical applications," whoever first establishes a closed loop in enterprise services may become the leader of the next wave. 01.AI's move has already been made.