On the morning of June 10th, the Alibaba Partners' Committee published a post on the company's internal network titled "Culture with Heart, Righteousness, and Growth is Alibaba Culture," clearly addressing recent discussions sparked by a long-form article from a former DingTalk product manager titled "Inside DingTalk." The post used strong language to criticize the management style of the DingTalk team, directly stating that this is "not what Alibaba culture should look like."
Beyond the criticism, the post from the Partners' Committee outlined the direction Alibaba's culture should uphold. "Mutual respect, treating people as people, having heart and righteousness" is the fundamental essence of Alibaba's culture, a foundation that "must never change, no matter how the times change or technology develops."
Previously, DingTalk's management style has sparked external discussion on multiple occasions. The Partners' organization conducted serious discussions and reached a unanimous judgment, emphasizing that such management "should not occur under any circumstances, no matter how urgent the task," and that "this is not the direction advocated by Alibaba culture."
The post pointed out that innovation in the AI era does not rely on "high pressure and mechanical execution," but on employees' passion and creativity. Only by fully respecting the individual value of each employee can true customer value be created. The responsibility of managers is "foresight, proactive accountability, uniting and motivating the team," and "cultivating and inspiring people is the duty of every leader." In the AI era, people are the most valuable asset, making it even more crucial to uphold heart and righteousness and foster an open, inclusive, and diverse work culture.
Attached: Original text of the Alibaba internal network post
"Culture with Heart, Righteousness, and Growth is Alibaba Culture"
Dear Colleagues,
In recent days, the company's Partners' organization has taken note of the discussions sparked internally and externally by the post "Inside DingTalk" on the intranet. The Partners have also engaged in serious discussions regarding the current team culture at DingTalk. Everyone unanimously agrees that, under no circumstances and regardless of how urgent the task, the management style mentioned in the post regarding the DingTalk team should ever occur. This approach has never been the direction advocated by Alibaba culture; it is not what Alibaba culture should look like.
Alibaba employees come together because of mutual trust, to accomplish meaningful and valuable things together. Mutual respect, treating people as people, and having heart and righteousness are the foundational essence of our culture. No matter how the times change or technology develops, these fundamentals must never change at Alibaba.
Alibaba's future lies in innovation, but innovation has never relied on high pressure and mechanical execution, especially in the AI era. Alibaba's innovation must rely on the passion and creativity of every colleague. We firmly believe that only by fully respecting the individual value of each colleague can we truly create customer value and move towards the future.
The atmosphere within a team is the primary responsibility of managers at all levels. A leader's responsibility is foresight, proactive accountability, and uniting and motivating the team. People are Alibaba's most valuable asset. Cultivating and inspiring people is the duty of every leader. In the AI era, as machines can take over many tasks humans can do, people become our most precious asset. In the AI era, we need to uphold heart and righteousness even more and work together to cultivate an open, inclusive, and diverse work culture.
Partners' Committee
June 10, 2026
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