According to a single source, MarkTechPost's retrospective, Alibaba's Qwen series began as a limited-access chatbot in April 2023. Over the following years, the project expanded rapidly, releasing models of increasing scale and capability. By August 2026, the lineup had reached a 2.4-trillion-parameter open-weight model, a dramatic leap from the 7-billion-parameter scale that originally defined the series.
The source frames the history as a release-by-release story, with each major model introducing key features and often revised licensing terms. The shift from invite-only access to open weights, combined with changing licenses, highlights how Alibaba adapted its strategy as the models grew. However, the excerpt does not provide specifics on individual releases or license details, so those claims cannot be independently verified here.
Because this article relies on a single source, its account of Qwen's trajectory should be treated as that outlet's narrative rather than a consensus view. The headline facts—the 2023 chatbot debutable and the 2026 2.4T release—are presented as documented by links within the source. No contradictory information appears in the excerpt. Read the full story for exact dates and model-by-model comparisons.