(Yicai) Oct. 10 -- The president of Luohan Academy, an open research institute set up by Alibaba Group Holdings’ founder Jack Ma, has left the leading Chinese e-commerce and technology group, according to a source at the think tank.

Chen Long, the “soul figure” in developing Luohan Academy, resigned from Alibaba at the end of last month, but will continue to oversee the Luohan Institute of Digital Economy, the source said. But according to another insider, he will start his own business. Chen, who was also chairman of Alibaba's sustainable steering committee, has yet to publicly comment.

Alibaba rebutted speculation that it will close Luohan Academy late yesterday. The team composition and work priorities will be changed, but the think tank and its brand will continue to exist, and preparations for the new team and work are underway, it added.

The shakeup follows other changes at Alibaba. The Hangzhou-based group will focus on "users first" and "artificial intelligence" to seek new growth amid a shifting internet landscape, its new Chief Executive Wu Yongming said in a letter to employees last month.

Established in 2018, Luohan Academy is dedicated to studying the economic and social implications of digital technologies and their impact on society, businesses, and individuals. It has supported research on privacy and data governance, measuring the new economy, and the future of finance. Another Alibaba research institute, Damo Academy, explores solutions to cutting-edge scientific and technological problems.

Chen’s last public appearance as a senior executive of Alibaba was on Sept. 19, when he attended the opening ceremony of Fudan University's School of Economics. 

“Most people in the world who are good thinkers are not down-to-earth, while most people that do down-to-earth work do not think,” he said at the event. “Luohan Academy is a social science community attempting to integrate theory with practice and break down school boundaries.

Scholars from the United States, Europe, and China attended the Luohan Academy Annual Digital Economy Conference held in Hangzhou in June for a two-day session on ‘Exploring the Evolving Digital Future.’

Editors: Tang Shihua, Martin Kadiev