Lang Xianpeng, the former head of smart driving at Li Auto, has departed the company to launch a new startup focused on embodied AI. Lang is reportedly partnering with a senior executive from Alibaba to enter the field, which integrates artificial intelligence into physical entities such as robots.
The move underscores a growing trend of top talent leaving China's competitive electric vehicle industry for opportunities in the robotics and AI sectors. This departure marks a significant loss of technical leadership for Li Auto in a core area of smart vehicle development.