A major internet company is moving away from a "brotherhood" culture. On the morning of March 13, Meituan convened a large-scale management communication session. Founder and CEO Wang Xing, when discussing expectations for managers, offered a suggestion: reduce the "Deng flavor," starting with himself. What is "Deng flavor"? Wang Xing gave a specific example: "For instance, everyone is used to calling me 'Brother Xing.' I think this is a clear example of a 'Deng flavor' form of address."
Wang Xing explained the origin of "Brother Xing" during the meeting: when he entered Tsinghua University in 1997, he shared a dormitory with Meituan co-founder Wang Huiwen. With two people surnamed Wang in the dorm, Wang Huiwen, being a few months older, was called "Old Wang," while Wang Xing became "Brother Xing." This nickname persisted from university days through the startup phase and continues today within the large internet platform. After being called "Brother Xing" for over 30 years, Wang Xing requested that, from the moment of the communication session, everyone cease using that title. "I hope everyone within the company addresses each other directly by name, no longer using 'Brother [Name]'. Just call me Wang Xing," he said.
In internet companies, forms of address are often more than just titles. They typically signify an organizational atmosphere and imply power structures. The fact that the 47-year-old Wang Xing suddenly no longer wants to be "Brother Xing" might signal that Meituan is re-evaluating its organizational culture and management style.
When "Brothers" Become "Old Deng" In the early stages of Chinese internet companies, "Brother" was a common form of address. Tencent's founder Ma Huateng was called "Brother Pony Ma," the WeChat team long referred to Zhang Xiaolong as "Brother Long," and JD.com's founder Liu Qiangdong is famously known as "Brother Dong." The brotherhood culture was a very typical organizational atmosphere in the early internet era, representing a rebellion against the previous generation's corporate culture. Compared to titles like "Director [Name]" or "Leader," "Brother [Name]" seemed closer and fostered more trust. Founders easily maintained close relationships with core teams, hierarchies were flat, communication was direct, and many decisions could be made through rapid discussion.
In many internet companies, the brotherhood culture often coexisted with a "wolf culture," creating a highly motivated, charge-ahead atmosphere. Companies like Meituan, Alibaba, and JD.com all exhibited similar characteristics in their early days.
However, after more than a decade of rapid expansion, Chinese internet companies like Alibaba, Tencent, ByteDance, and Meituan have grown to employ tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands. Organizational structures have become increasingly complex, with more business lines and additional management layers. In this context, the relatively simple "brotherhood culture" of the startup phase has become difficult to sustain. Companies require institutionalized management, performance systems, and clearer organizational structures. Consequently, tools like KPIs, OKRs, and management processes have gradually become central to organizational operations.
But as companies grow even larger, new problems emerge. Some employees perceive that systems originally designed to improve efficiency have evolved into complex bureaucracies. Management styles once emphasizing execution may gradually emphasize hierarchy and authority. Internally, internet companies often refer to this phenomenon as "bureaucratization." The founder's personal influence on organizational culture also becomes less direct than in the startup phase. When the brotherhood culture becomes associated with authority, "Brother [Name]" is no longer just a simple title but implies hierarchy, distance, and even factionalism, inevitably carrying a "Deng flavor."
When an organization reaches this stage, companies often restart discussions about culture. In recent years, major Chinese internet companies have repeatedly engaged in similar reflections. Meituan has long been known for its execution capability and combat effectiveness. Wang Xing has consistently emphasized rational management and systematic capabilities. Yet, as the organization continues to expand, Meituan also faces a common challenge for large internet firms: how to keep an increasingly庞大 organization sufficiently open and vibrant.
Abandoning the "Brother Xing" title and striving to wash away Meituan's "Deng flavor" through changes in address might seem like a small step, but it is profoundly significant. Ultimately, as competition enters a long-term phase, companies compete not through isolated innovations but through every detail capable of causing a butterfly effect and the long-term efficiency of the organization.
How to Reactivate the Organization? Wang Xing's public reflection at this moment inevitably brings to mind the recent high-profile departure of Alibaba's Lin Junyang. Just over ten days ago, Lin Junyang, head of Alibaba's underlying large model Qwen, posted on social platform X: "I am leaving, goodbye, my beloved Qwen." This brief farewell quickly drew attention within the AI industry. Subsequently, news emerged that several key technical leads from the Qwen team had also recently left, raising external questions about Alibaba's talent system and organizational culture.
Alibaba responded swiftly within two days. Wu Yongming issued an internal email formally approving Lin Junyang's resignation and announcing the establishment of a base model support team comprising Wu Yongming, Zhou Jingren, and Fan Yu. The email clarified that Alibaba would continue its open-source strategy and increase investment in AI R&D and talent acquisition. According to Huxiu reports, Lin Junyang's departure prompted reflection within Alibaba's core management regarding the training system for young talent. The group will explore new methods for cultivating, promoting, and managing the new generation of AI technical talent.
Senior executives suggested that existing management and training models might need iteration to suit the talent culture of the AI community and the younger generation. However, this does not mean compromising fundamental processes and systems for individuals. Methods need to be explored quickly to help Alibaba's newly emerging younger generation better understand and integrate into the Alibaba family and culture. Individual deification is not acceptable; collaboration awareness and collective consciousness remain necessary.
Indeed, Alibaba has undergone multiple organizational restructuring since its founding, with particular frequency from 2023 onwards: from business spin-offs to management structure changes, and internal reflections on "bureaucratization." In terms of organizational decision-making and transformation, Alibaba is one of the most responsive examples among large Chinese internet companies. Meituan has also taken action regarding rejuvenation. Since 2023, several post-85s generation members have entered Meituan's core management, with the "young guard's" influence gradually becoming apparent. Key positions at ByteDance, Tencent, and other major firms have also seen a trend towards younger appointments.
However, organizational vitality cannot be activated simply by "changing the blood." The discussion around the Lin Junyang incident reflects not just surface-level employee-management disputes but a common organizational矛盾 faced by large internet companies: as companies scale, the distance between employees and management lengthens. Some young employees begin to question hierarchical culture, perceiving decision-making processes as insufficiently transparent, while management worries about declining organizational efficiency and feels the need to maintain order through systems and processes.
Within this矛盾, how to rebuild trust and vitality becomes a problem many large companies must confront. It is believed that Wang Xing closely followed the Lin Junyang incident and has further thoughts and actions yet to be revealed.
Meituan's AI Anxiety Currently, the organizational culture long practiced by internet companies is being re-examined. Reflections on organizational efficiency by companies like Alibaba and Meituan essentially address the same question: when the established experiences of large platforms become ineffective, what can drive the new generation of young employees?
The AI era presents several clear trends for organizations: First, rejuvenation. A significant portion of core talent in the AI industry belongs to the post-90s, post-95s, even post-00s generation, who have lower acceptance of authority and are more accustomed to direct expression. Second, enhanced individual capability. AI tools amplify individual productivity; in the future, a single individual could function as a super-individual. Third, the rise of "outliers." This term is currently favored by the investment circle to describe AI talent. AI entrepreneurs like Wang Xingxing and Yang Zhilin have demonstrated that the excellence of "outliers" signifies a百花齐放 scenario rather than a fixed paradigm.
Perhaps large companies are searching for an organizational management model closer to that of an open-source community. Reducing hierarchical symbols, allowing teams to collaborate in ways more akin to technical communities, and basing decisions on technical discussions—where "whose solution is better" might matter more than "who has the final say." Technical ideals, personal growth space, and an open collaborative environment will become more valued company metrics in the new era. In other words, for large companies to continuously attract and retain the best talent, they must find a new balance between efficiency and freedom.
Wang Xing's proposal to "reduce Deng flavor" is not merely调侃; it aims to remove the deification and worship of any single individual, allowing the organization to operate in a manner suited to the AI era—permitting emergence, creation, and decentralization. "The experience of old experts may not always work; the various 'strange' ideas of young people will continue to emerge. Facing the AI wave, the only thing we can do is actively embrace it," Wang Xing said.
Regarding AI, Wang Xing shared more thoughts during the communication session. He believes the changes brought by AI will be far greater than those brought by the entire internet. He suggested that mobile internet and the internet have no fundamental difference, perhaps like a rose and a peony, whereas AI compared to the internet is like the difference between a monkey and a flower. "AI Agent had a greater impact on me than ChatGPT," Wang Xing stated. "It is destined to create huge productivity and will certainly bring significant changes to organizations and work models."
Meituan possesses a sense of anxiety. Although every earnings call discusses AI, in reality, Meituan's investment in AI is relatively modest compared to other leading tech companies. According to media reports, Meituan originally planned to use the technical and business experience accumulated in AI, drones, and embodied intelligence during 2023-2024 to drive "AI efficiency improvements" and "AI restructuring" across its core businesses in 2025. However, the flash sales competition in 2025 disrupted this plan. Externally, the perception is that Meituan's AI development is "a step slow."
Following the AI competitive surge around the Chinese New Year, ByteDance's Doubao and Alibaba's Tongyi Qianwen, two "super apps," both surpassed 100 million monthly active users. WeChat's Yuanbao is also growing rapidly. Their functions are no longer limited to dialogue, image generation, or document organization but directly "handle tasks," helping users complete services in one step. This implies that the mainstream competition is now about seizing the super app of the future AI era. If Meituan remains on the sidelines, its role might shift from being a local lifestyle traffic入口 to a mere "supplier" on call—a consequence Meituan clearly wishes to avoid.
In the latest management meeting, Wang Puzhong, CEO of Meituan's Core Local Commerce, outlined Meituan's clear AI path: Meituan will persist in increasing investment. One layer involves investing in R&D for logistics, robotics, and related technologies like drones and autonomous vehicles. Another layer involves building a rich repository of physical world information and authentic reviews, capturing real-time dynamic information for use by models and C-end Agents. "We have the most comprehensive information, capability for action in the physical world, including drones, autonomous vehicles, and embodied intelligence," Wang Puzhong stated. He indicated that, going forward, Meituan will first commit firmly to investing in its own foundational large model, developing a distinctive model with low inference costs, and keeping its capabilities close to the SOTA. Simultaneously, based on building the most comprehensive and accurate data of the physical world, Meituan aims to create an AI foundation and action capability for the physical world.
For an internet platform with a vast organization, change often begins not with grand slogans but with details. Externally, Meituan now has a clearer AI strategy. Internally, by no longer being "Brother Xing" and washing away the "Deng flavor," Wang Xing has made the first move in reforming organizational efficiency for the AI era.
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