Zhang said the decision to step down was part of his own plan.
Zhang’s intentions to only focus on cloud now have been some years in the making. In an interview with CNBC in 2018, Zhang said cloud computing will be the company’s “main business” in the future, underscoring his bullishness regarding the technology.
My fellow Aliren,
Since becoming CEO of Alibaba Group in May 2015, it has become my custom to send several letters to everyone every year. As many of you have come to expect when receiving such a letter, it often signals a significant organizational change. Today is no exception. This time, however, the news I’m sharing involves an important personal change.
I am pleased to report that our organizational transformation into the “1+6+N” model has been progressing as planned since we made the announcement. During our most recent earnings announcement, we introduced the board of directors for each of the six major business groups, and these entities are now all fully operational. We also announced plans for a series of significant transactions, which include Cloud Intelligence Group’s full spin-off and listing as an independent company, IPOs for Cainiao Smart Logistics and Freshippo, and external capital raising for AIDC. Alibaba will have a brand-new outlook for the future.
As everyone is well aware, the development of core technologies such as cloud computing, big data and AI will lead to a tremendous transformation of our society and is of utmost strategic significance. Cloud Intelligence Group is now full speed ahead on its spin-off plans and we are approaching a crucial stage of the process, so it is the right time for me to dedicate my full attention and time to the business. From a corporate governance perspective, we also need clear separation between the board and management team as Cloud Intelligence Group proceeds down the path to becoming an independent public company. It would be inappropriate for me to continue serving as Chairman and CEO of both companies at the same time during the spin-off process. Therefore, the Alibaba board of directors has discussed and accepted my plan to transition from the role of Chairman and CEO of Alibaba Group to focus exclusively on my role as Chairman and CEO of Cloud Intelligence Group, effective September 10th 2023. In turn, the Alibaba board of directors has appointed Joseph C. Tsai to succeed me as Chairman and Eddie Yongming Wu to succeed me as Chief Executive Officer. As co-founders and partners of the company, Joe and Eddie have made significant contributions to the company’s development and possess a wealth of invaluable experience. I have every confidence that their leadership will guide Alibaba toward new heights.
This change signifies a new phase and new journey, not only for the company but also for me personally. Time flies, and this year marks my 16th year at Alibaba Group. My appointment as CEO and Chairman of Alibaba Group was beyond my imagination. Being able to fully dedicate myself to the roles for as long as I have is truly due to the trust, support, encouragement, and patience I have received from everyone. For this, I am forever deeply grateful. Due to the historical opportunities that emerged through social progress and market development over the past 16 years, I had the privilege of witnessing the rapid growth of Alibaba and participated alongside everyone in so many achievements from inception to maturation that has impacted people’s everyday lives, enabled the digital transformation of businesses, and made positive contributions to society. Together we withstood the challenges brought about by the pandemic and weathered the uncertainties of the macro environment over the past three years. Through prosperity and adversity, we grew stronger, shared unforgettable experiences, and persevered through it all together. I am grateful for the friendships and bonds forged during this journey that is more valuable and meaningful to me than anything else.
Over the past 24 years, we have initiated self-reinvention many times. Today, we are all standing together at a new starting point, hoping to unlock new growth through self-transformation. I know everyone will continue to support Joe, Eddie, and the new senior management team. I hope everyone will find the best path and platform for themselves. Your self-fulfilment will benefit society and the company, but more importantly, hopefuly will help you discover how to be the best version of yourself. The team at Cloud Intelligence Group and I are also standing on a brand new stage, and we will leverage the power of new technology in cloud computing, big data, and artificial intelligence to serve the digital transformation of enterprises of all sizes and industries and capture the massive potential brought about by AI. I am incredibly eager and excited.
My friends, the landscape may evolve, but the mountains remain and the rivers will continue to flow. Let’s start a new chapter. When we meet again, may we all be carefree!
Daniel Zhang
Alibaba Group Chairman and CEO Alibaba Cloud Intelligence Group Chairman and CEO 2023.6.20
Signage outside the Micron offices in San Jose, California, on Dec. 17, 2024.
David Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Micron shares popped 6% in extended trading Thursday after the company reported second-quarter results that beat analysts’ estimates and offered better-than-expected guidance.
Here’s how the company did:
Earnings per share: $1.56, adjusted vs. $1.42 expected by LSEG
Revenue: $8.05 billion vs. $7.89 billion expected by LSEG
Revenue increased 38% from $5.82 billion during the same period in 2024, Micron said in a press release. The memory and storage solutions company reported net income of $1.58 billion, or $1.41 per share, up from $793 million, or 71 cents per share, in the year-ago quarter.
Data center revenue tripled, the company said.
Revenue for the fiscal third quarter will be about $8.8 billion, Micron said, topping the $8.5 billion average analyst estimate, according to LSEG. Adjusted earnings will be roughly $1.57 a share, the company said, beating the $1.47 average estimate.
Prior to Thursday’s close, Micron shares were up 22% for the year, while the Nasdaq is down more than 8%.
Micron will host its quarterly call with investors at 4:30 p.m. ET.
Appetite for ether ETFs has been tepid since their launch last July, but that could change if some of the regulatory wrinkles holding them back get “resolved,” according to Robert Mitchnick, head of digital assets at BlackRock.
There’s a widely held view that the success of ether ETFs has been “meh” compared to the explosive growth in funds tracking bitcoin, Mitchnick said at the Digital Asset Summit in New York City Thursday. Though he sees that as a “misconception,” he acknowledged that the inability to earn a staking yield on the funds is likely one thing holding them back.
“There’s obviously a next phase in the potential evolution of [ether ETFs],” he said. “An ETF, it’s turned out, has been a really, really compelling vehicle through which to hold bitcoin for lots of different investor types. There’s no question it’s less perfect for ETH today without staking. A staking yield is a meaningful part of how you can generate investment return in this space, and all the [ether] ETFs at launch did not have staking.”
Staking is a way for investors to earn passive yield on their cryptocurrency holdings by locking tokens up on the network for a period of time. It allows investors to put their crypto to work if they’re not planning to sell it anytime soon.
But Mitchnick doesn’t expect a simple fix.
“It’s not a particularly easy problem,” he explained. “It’s not as simple as … a new administration just green-lighting something and then boom, we’re all good, off to the races. There are a lot of fairly complex challenges that have to be figured out, but if that can get figured out, then it’s going to be sort of a step change upward in terms of what we see the activity around those products is.”
The Securities and Exchange Commission has historically viewed some staking services as potential unregistered securities offerings under the Howey Test – which is used to determine whether an asset is an investment contract and therefore, a security. But a more crypto friendly SEC is moving swiftly to reverse the damage done to the industry under the previous regime. Its newly formed crypto task force is scheduled to kick off a roundtable series Friday focused on defining the security status of digital assets.
Ether has been one of the most beaten up cryptocurrencies in recent months. It’s down more than 40% year to date as it has struggled with conflicting and difficult-to-comprehend narratives, weaker revenue since its last big technical upgrade and increasing competition from Solana. Standard Chartered this week slashed its price target on the coin by more than half.
Mitchnick said the negativity is “overdone.”
“ETH … at the second grade level is easier to define … but at the 10th grade level is a lot harder,” he said. “Second grade level: it’s a technology innovation story. … Beyond that, it does get a little more vast, a little more complicated. It’s about being a bet on blockchain adoption and innovation. That’s part of the thesis as we communicate it to clients.”
“There are three [use cases] that we focus on that have a lot of resonance with our client base: it’s a bet to some extent on tokenization, on stablecoin adoption, and on decentralized financing,” he added. “It does take a fair bit of education, and we’ve been on that journey, but it’s going to take more time.”
BlackRock is the issuer of the iShares Ethereum Trust ETF. It also has a tokenized money market fund, known as BUIDL, which it initially launched a year ago on Ethereum and has since expanded to several other networks including Aptos and Polygon.
Don’t miss these cryptocurrency insights from CNBC Pro:
A Tesla Cybertruck is parked in front of the White House in Washington, U.S., March 11, 2025.
Kevin Lamarque | Reuters
Tesla is recalling more than 46,000 of its Cybertrucks due to a cosmetic exterior trim panel that it said can “delaminate and detach from the vehicle,” potentially becoming a road hazard and “increasing the risk of a crash.”
The recall covers an exterior part of the vehicle, known as a cant rail, and it will affect all Cybertruck vehicles manufactured from November 2023 to February 2025, Tesla wrote in a filing to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
The Cybertrucks’ recall comes at an already-challenging time for the embattled EV maker, whose value has dropped by more than 40% as CEO Elon Musk continues his role as a top advisor in the Trump administration.
Owners of affected vehicles can take their Cybertrucks to Tesla’s service department for free replacement of the cant rail, the company wrote in its filing.
Both Tesla and The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Following the recall filing, The Information reported that the company plans to introduce a new innovation to the Cybertruck’s battery this year that would “sharply decrease battery manufacturing costs,” citing a senior executive.