Qwen’s Former Lead on What Hybrid Thinking Got Wrong — and Why He Now Backs Agents

Junyang Lin, the former technical lead for Alibaba’s Qwen models, has concluded that hybrid thinking architectures and dynamic compute allocation are insufficient for achieving advanced reasoning. He now advocates for shifting development focus toward autonomous AI agents that can manage multi-step workflows. This transition reflects a broader industry pivot away from monolithic models toward systems designed to independently plan and execute complex tasks.