According to reports, Alibaba Group CEO Wu Yongming announced in an internal message that as part of the AI-driven strategic adjustment, Wu Zeming, former CEO of Taobao Flash Sales, will focus entirely on his role as Group CTO, while the leadership of Taobao Flash Sales has been officially handed over to Lei Yaqun.

Core Transformation: From "Eleme" to a Trillion-Yuan "Flash Sales"

The predecessor of Taobao Flash Sales was Eleme, which completed its renewal and upgrade in December 2025, becoming the core flagship of Alibaba's layout in the instant retail market:

Ambitious Goals: Alibaba has set a clear mandate for this business —— the overall scale needs to exceed 100 billion yuan within the next two years.

Profit Timeline: The group expects this business segment to achieve overall profitability in the 2029 fiscal year, ending the long-term investment phase.

New Leader's Challenge: Stabilizing the Market, Promoting AI, and Achieving Profitability

The new leader, Lei Yaqun, faces a fiercely competitive market. He must bear three major pressures:

Market Defense: Under the threat of strong competitors like Meituan and JD.com, he needs to ensure steady expansion of the instant retail market share.

AI Strategy Implementation: Implementing Wu Yongming's "AI-first" strategy, deeply integrating large model capabilities into delivery scheduling, user insights, and the entire fulfillment process.

Financial Balance: While aggressively expanding, he needs to lay a feasible path towards the 2029 fiscal year's profit goal.

Organizational Logic: Technology Return and Business Specialization

This personnel change reflects the clarity of Alibaba's management logic:

Technology Return: Wu Zeming focusing on the Group CTO aims to support the group's overall AI transformation from the bottom-up infrastructure and architecture.

Business Focus: Lei Yaqun's appointment is intended to drive Taobao Flash Sales toward profitability through more practical and professional operations.

Conclusion: The Second Half of the Instant Retail

When "trillion-scale" and "comprehensive profitability" become clear lines, and the implementation of AI technology becomes an underlying thread, this leadership change at Taobao Flash Sales is not only a realignment of internal functions within Alibaba, but also a landmark signal of the instant retail sector entering an era of efficiency competition.