A profile of Joseph Tsai, the Taiwan-born, US-educated Alibaba co-founder, its next chairman, a longtime Jack Ma ally, and now a prominent blockchain proponent
Here's who they are Jane Zhang / Fortune : In a surprise shakeup, Alibaba names Eddie Wu as its CEO, replacing Daniel Zhang, effective September 10; Zhang will remain CEO of Alibaba Cloud Florence Muchai / Cryptopolitan : Alibaba's crypto-friendly transition: Joseph Tsai takes the helm as chairman Observer : Alibaba CEO Daniel Zhang Steps Down, Eddie Wu and Joseph Tsai Step up Hong Kong Free Press HKFP : Tech giant Alibaba names new CEO and chairman amid China's economic slowdown Dimitar Dzhondzhorov / CryptoPotato : Crypto Proponent Joseph Tsai Becomes the New Chairman of Alibaba Ruholamin Haqshanas / Cryptonews : Alibaba Names Crypto-Friendly Joseph Tsai as New Chairman Ankish Jain / crypto.news : Crypto enthusiast Tsai to steer Alibaba Laura He / CNN : Alibaba names new chairman and CEO in major shakeup
Context & Ripple Effects
Alibaba’s leadership transition separates the group chairmanship from day-to-day operating control: Joseph Tsai takes the chair while Eddie Wu becomes CEO, with Daniel Zhang continuing at Alibaba Cloud. The arrangement follows Alibaba’s earlier announcement of the Tsai-Wu leadership team.
The change extends Alibaba’s succession arc from Jack Ma to Daniel Zhang and now to two co-founders and longtime Ma allies. Tsai’s profile adds governance context to a transition whose operational side will be led by incoming CEO Eddie Wu.
First-order effects
- Tsai becomes the principal board-level leader of Alibaba, while Wu assumes responsibility for the group’s executive management; Daniel Zhang’s remit narrows to Alibaba Cloud.
- Tsai’s long relationship with Jack Ma gives the chairmanship continuity with Alibaba’s founding leadership, even as the company changes its top executive team.
Second-order effects
- Alibaba Cloud gains a more distinct management focus under Daniel Zhang, while the group’s board and CEO can concentrate on the broader reorganization and operating execution.
- Investors, employees, and partners will assess the new structure through the division of authority between Tsai, Wu, and Zhang rather than treating the transition as a single-person succession.
Third-order effects
- The move reinforces a governance model in which Alibaba’s founder-era figures retain strategic influence while operating leaders are assigned narrower, accountable roles.
- If sustained, the split between group leadership and cloud leadership could make Alibaba’s major business units more independently managed, with the effectiveness of coordination becoming a central test.
The trend: Alibaba is moving from founder-led succession toward a more explicitly divided leadership structure, pairing board stewardship with business-unit accountability.