Alibaba's Qwen AI App Hits 10M Downloads in First Week, Driving Stock Surge

On November 24, 2025, Alibaba Group’s Qwen AI app— a rival to ChatGPT and Google Gemini—reported

, leading to a 4.53% surge in Alibaba’s Hong Kong-listed stock (9988.HK) [0][1]. The app integrates core services like e-commerce and productivity tools into Alibaba’s AI-first strategy under CEO Eddie Wu [1].

Concurrent claims from online discussions include:

• Allegations that Qwen’s download numbers are inflated by bot farms (unconfirmed by official sources)
• Claims that Qwen’s latest advanced model is no longer open source (contradicted by public repository data)
• Comparisons to other Chinese open-source AI models like GLM and DeepSeek [4]

:
[0] Ginlix Analytical Database (Stock Price Data: 9988.HK, Nov 24, 2025)
[1] SCMP, “Alibaba’s Qwen chatbot exceeds 10 million downloads, faster than ChatGPT and DeepSeek” (2025), https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3333935/alibabas-qwen-chatbot-exceeds-10-million-downloads-faster-chatgpt-and-deepseek
[4] Medium, “OpenAI vs DeepSeek vs Qwen: The Ultimate AI Battle of 2025” (2025), https://medium.com/@shivashanker7337/openai-vs-deepseek-vs-qwen-the-ultimate-ai-battle-of-2025-a6e7c1c9c008

• Stock Price
  : Alibaba’s Hong Kong stock (9988.HK) closed at $154.50 on Nov 24, 2025, with a +4.53% gain and 168.21M shares traded—significantly higher than average daily volume (indicative of strong investor sentiment) [0].
• Sector Sentiment
  : The launch reinforced positive sentiment toward Chinese AI companies, as Qwen’s adoption speed outpaced global rivals like ChatGPT [1].

• Valuation
  : Analysts view Qwen as central to Alibaba’s strategy to benchmark against OpenAI and revitalize its consumer business. Kenny Ng (China Everbright Securities) noted the app’s success could boost Alibaba’s long-term valuation [3].
• AI Race
  : The launch intensifies the U.S.-China AI competition, with Alibaba positioning Qwen as the “Android of the AI era” (via open-source model access) [3].

:
[0] Ginlix Analytical Database
[1] SCMP
[3] Outlook Business, “Alibaba’s Qwen app tops 10 million downloads within a week after relaunch” (2025), https://www.outlookbusiness.com/technology/alibabas-qwen-app-tops-10-million-downloads-within-a-week-after-relaunch

• Stock Performance
  : 9988.HK (BABA) – Open: $147.80, High: $156.30, Low: $147.80, Close: $154.50 (Nov 24, 2025) [0]
• Volume
  : 168.21M shares (2x average daily volume for the prior week) [0]
• Downloads
  : 10M+ in first week (faster than ChatGPT and DeepSeek’s launch phases) [1]

• Global AI Leaderboard
  : Qwen2.5-Max ranks 6th overall (Elo score:1340), behind DeepSeek V3 (4th, Elo:1372) and OpenAI’s GPT-4o (2nd, Elo:1407) [4].
• Open-Source Standing
  : Qwen3 (latest core model) remains open-source (Apache 2.0 license), with GitHub repository available for public use [2].

:
[0] Ginlix Analytical Database
[1] SCMP
[2] Index.dev, “Qwen AI for Coding:2025’s Top Open-Source Model” (2025), https://www.index.dev/blog/qwen-ai-coding-review
[4] Medium

• Directly Impacted
  : Alibaba Group (9988.HK, BABA)
• Related Sectors
  : Chinese AI/tech sector, consumer AI applications
• Upstream
  : Alibaba Cloud (provider of Qwen’s foundational models)
• Competitors
  : DeepSeek (rival AI model), GLM (another Chinese open-source AI model) [4]

• Bot Farm Allegations
  : No official confirmation or denial from Alibaba regarding download inflation claims. Further investigation into user engagement metrics (e.g., daily active users) is needed to validate adoption.
• Proprietary vs Open-Source
  : The claim that Qwen’s latest advanced model is not open-source is unsubstantiated—core Qwen3 models are open-source, but app-specific integrations may be proprietary [2].

• Credibility Risk
  : If bot farm allegations are proven true, Alibaba’s AI strategy could face reputational damage and stock correction.
• Regulatory Risk
  : The U.S.-China AI race may lead to stricter export controls or sanctions affecting Alibaba’s global expansion plans for Qwen [3].
• Competition Risk
  : DeepSeek’s higher ranking in global leaderboards (4th vs Qwen’s 6th) suggests intense competition in the Chinese AI market [4].

• User Retention
  : Qwen’s monthly active users (MAUs) and engagement rates (to confirm sustainable adoption).
• Revenue Streams
  : Launch of premium features in Qwen app (to monetize user base).
• Regulatory Updates
  : U.S. and Chinese policies on AI model exports and data privacy.

:
[2] Index.dev
[3] Outlook Business
[4] Medium

[0] Ginlix Analytical Database
[1] SCMP, “Alibaba’s Qwen chatbot exceeds 10 million downloads, faster than ChatGPT and DeepSeek” (2025), https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3333935/alibabas-qwen-chatbot-exceeds-10-million-downloads-faster-chatgpt-and-deepseek
[2] Index.dev, “Qwen AI for Coding:2025’s Top Open-Source Model” (2025), https://www.index.dev/blog/qwen-ai-coding-review
[3] Outlook Business, “Alibaba’s Qwen app tops 10 million downloads within a week after relaunch” (2025), https://www.outlookbusiness.com/technology/alibabas-qwen-app-tops-10-million-downloads-within-a-week-after-relaunch
[4] Medium, “OpenAI vs DeepSeek vs Qwen: The Ultimate AI Battle of 2025” (2025), https://medium.com/@shivashanker7337/openai-vs-deepseek-vs-qwen-the-ultimate-ai-battle-of-2025-a6e7c1c9c008
[5] GitHub, “QwenLM/Qwen3” (2025), https://github.com/QwenLM/Qwen3