Beijing-based AI research group WizardLM, previously operating under Microsoft, has officially moved to Tencent, the Chinese tech giant behind WeChat and PUBG Mobile. The news broke via a post on X by Can Xu, a senior researcher who led several WizardLM projects, revealing that the team has joined Hunyuan, Tencent’s core AI development division.
The move signals Tencent’s escalating ambition in the AI arms race. Hunyuan has already launched a number of generative models, including tools for video and 3D content creation. Most recently, the former WizardLM team released Hunyuan-TurboS 0416, a model branded under Tencent that reportedly outperforms open alternatives like Google’s Gemma 3 series, according to WizardLM co-founder Qingfeng Sun.
The exact timing of the team’s departure from Microsoft remains unclear, and both Microsoft and Tencent have yet to issue public statements. However, it’s evident that WizardLM’s operations will continue largely unchanged under Tencent’s umbrella.
A Tumultuous Open Source History
WizardLM’s path has been anything but smooth. In April 2024, the team—then under Microsoft—released its highly anticipated WizardLM-2 model, claiming it was competitive with OpenAI’s GPT-4. But within 24 hours, Microsoft pulled the model offline, citing a failure to complete toxicity testing.
The takedown caused a ripple effect across the open source AI community. Despite Microsoft’s removal, users quickly reuploaded the original models along with fine-tuned versions. Clément Delangue, CEO of Hugging Face, publicly criticized Microsoft’s actions, noting that WizardLM models were being downloaded over 100,000 times monthly. The sudden deletion disrupted numerous open source projects and highlighted tensions between corporate oversight and community-driven innovation.
Now at Tencent, WizardLM appears poised to resume its original mission: developing cutting-edge AI models with fewer release constraints. Tencent has restructured its Hunyuan team and significantly boosted its AI infrastructure spending. The company attributed its 8% YoY growth in Q1 2025 to these AI investments and plans to funnel 90 billion yuan (~$12.5 billion) into capital expenditures this year, much of it earmarked for AI initiatives.
The absorption of WizardLM gives Tencent a major talent boost as it seeks to catch up with global leaders in foundation model development—and offers the former Microsoft team a fresh start, this time with fewer strings attached.
