HANGZHOU, CHINA –  David Wei, chief executive officer of Alibaba.com Ltd., who made news headlines after he talked up a highly ambitious future that included aggressive strategies for capturing the company’s target market, has possibly been fired today.

(photo credit: The Telegraph UK)

Sources inside the industry were riveted by the news, as leaks from within Alibaba’s corporate headquarters in Hangzhou, China, hit the streets.

While many were cautious with accepting the first inkling of news, others were not surprised to find out that the Internet giant, which has seen a marked drop in its revenue stream from non-government sources since the middle of last year, was cleaning house.

A tour of California’s Silicon valley and outlaying areas late last year by company founder Jack Ma was a sign that something was about to happen, some experts speculate. While the highly celebrated and often animated poster boy for China’s tech revolution was culling talent from the top schools in the USA, things were apparently not so certain back at home in China.

No official statement has been made by the company, but reports are already coming in that there may be an announcement in the next few days.

The company’s COO, Li Xu Hui, has also reportedly left the company as well.