[Digital Today reporter Chi-gyu Hwang (황치규)] Alibaba cut its workforce by 34 percent in 2025 as it accelerated its shift to AI, CNBC reported on Thursday. Alibaba had 128,197 employees at the end of last year, down 66,123 from a year earlier. CNBC said the decline followed Alibaba’s sale of its offline retail business and a restructuring of its business around AI.
In results for the fourth quarter of 2025 released the same day, Alibaba’s net profit fell 67 percent and missed market expectations. Alibaba shares fell 6 percent in Hong Kong.
Alibaba sold Sun Art Retail Group at the end of 2024 and disposed of its stake in department store chain Intime as it carried out a large-scale restructuring. Al
Alibaba is focusing on shedding labour-intensive businesses and restructuring its core operations around AI. It recently declared a shift into a “full-stack AI company” spanning semiconductor manufacturing, computing and AI models.
Chi-gyu Hwang
delight@d-today.co.kr