Alibaba Cloud MuleRun Head Chen Yushen Appointed as DingTalk CEO

On June 11, 2026, Alibaba announced a management reshuffle at DingTalk: Chen Hang (Wuzhao) stepped down as CEO, succeeded by Chen Yushen, head of Alibaba Cloud's AI Agent product MuleRun. At 34, Chen Yushen becomes Alibaba's youngest business unit CEO.

Background: DingTalk Management Changes and Alibaba Culture Criticism

This adjustment follows the Alibaba Partnership Committee's public criticism of DingTalk's management style. On June 10, the committee posted an internal article titled "Affection, Growth, and Alibaba Culture," criticizing DingTalk's management as "not what Alibaba culture should be." Earlier, two articles by DingTalk employees questioning Chen Hang's management style went viral.

New CEO Chen Yushen: Tech Geek and Serial Entrepreneur

Born in 1992, Chen Yushen is a tech-savvy serial entrepreneur who made the Forbes Asia "30 Under 30" list. He founded cybersecurity company Changting Technology at 22 after graduating from Zhejiang University. In 2019, at 27, Alibaba Cloud fully acquired Changting, granting him financial freedom. In 2021, he left Alibaba, forfeiting unvested benefits, to found "Jiaogeimao Ba" and "Soumao Technology." In 2025, he returned to Alibaba Cloud for internal entrepreneurship, leading the development of AI Agent product MuleRun.

MuleRun: AI Agent Trading Platform

MuleRun is positioned as an AI Agent trading marketplace where users can find and rent different Agents to complete tasks. Public data shows MuleRun serves 43 countries and regions, with 34% of users paying over $200 monthly. Paid users are active 2.6 days per week, completing an average of 13 end-to-end tasks per week. Version 1.0 was released in September 2025, upgraded to a self-evolving personal AI Agent assistant in March 2026.

Impact: Potential Shift in DingTalk AI Strategy

After Chen Yushen takes over, the development approach for DingTalk's enterprise-level Agent application "Wukong" may change. Reports indicate that with large models shifting to enterprise services, DingTalk faces significant challenges, and AI implementation may require different product methodologies than the mobile internet era. In interviews, Chen Yushen emphasized that future software and Agents will be easier to create and trade. MuleRun's core assumption is that "as Vibe Coding lowers development barriers, many non-technical people can package personal knowledge into Agents."

Data and Market Reaction

Changting Technology completed a spin-off round of over 1 billion yuan in 2024, with the founding team becoming the largest shareholder, making it the first independent company after acquisition within Alibaba's system.
Chen Yushen's previously founded Soumao Technology secured over 100 million yuan in funding in its second year.
DingTalk has 700 million users. The new CEO's youth is seen as Alibaba's emphasis on the AI Agent track.