(Yicai) April 10 -- Alibaba Group Holding's founder Jack Ma has praised the Chinese e-commerce giant's management and restructuring efforts in an internal letter to employees.

Ma wrote the letter today, the one-year anniversary of Alibaba's restructuring, to address recent remarks by co-founder and Chairman Joseph Tsai, who admitted that the Hangzhou-based firm had faced significant challenges.

"Over the past year, Tsai and Eddie Wu -- Alibaba's chief executive officer -- have led the company through a series of transformations aimed at the future, demonstrating commendable courage and wisdom," said Ma. "This year's most significant change was not in pursuit of key performance indicators, but in a reevaluation of ourselves and a return to prioritizing customer value."

Alibaba has addressed the "big company disease," transitioning from an organization characterized by slow decision-making to one where efficiency and market leadership are paramount, Ma noted.

The new management confronts problems and the future directly, places trust in younger generations, grants full empowerment to young teams, and makes clear and decisive choices about what is and is not essential, he added.

In this era of significant technological transformation, three to five years in the internet domain feel like a century, according to Ma. "The artificial intelligence era is just beginning; everything is starting anew, and we are perfectly timed."

Ma also explained how times have changed and that Alibaba should evolve accordingly by acknowledging and promptly addressing past issues and embracing the future.

Tsai recently said that Alibaba faced significant challenges due to an overemphasis on rapid expansion at the expense of enhancing user experience for its core e-commerce customers. This realization prompted Alibaba to refocus on core e-commerce and cloud computing operations, he added, noting that he remains optimistic about Alibaba's future and its contribution to international trade.

One year ago, Alibaba started a reorganization process, splitting into six main business groups: Alibaba Cloud, Taobao Tmall Commerce, Local Services Group, Cainiao Network, International Digital Commerce, and Digital Media and Entertainment Group. But plans to list supermarket chain Freshippo and courier Cainiao have been put on hold as Alibaba works to streamline its portfolio.

Editor: Futura Costaglione