Doubao restructuring: chat team shrinks as ByteDance focuses on high-value projects

ByteDance's Doubao is undergoing significant restructuring, with its chat team experiencing a reduction in size by approximately half. The changes were initiated by Zhao Qi, the head of Doudian. Previously, the team had around 50 members and was one of the largest within Doudian, focusing on chat product capabilities, including strategy and evaluation. Following the adjustments, some employees are being transferred to Doudian's commercialization and Feishu teams, while others are being laid off. In parallel, the product posttrain-chat team, led by Zhu Wenjia, is also being downsized. This team, part of the large model department Seed, worked with the Doudian product team to develop small models for use within Doudian. Due to decreased business demand, some employees have moved to departments like Horizon RL and product posttrain-work. Additionally, the person in charge of the Doudian chat model integration has changed twice within a month. These adjustments reflect ByteDance's effort to reallocate resources toward high-demand areas such as commercialization and office work, indicating a shift in focus for dialogue products and model development.