Alibaba has denied involvement in funding negotiations with DeepSeek, countering recent rumors of talks between the two companies. Market insiders revealed that Alibaba likely never engaged in discussions with DeepSeek, despite reports suggesting otherwise. The core issue reportedly stems from Alibaba's focus on ecosystem integration, which conflicts with DeepSeek's desire to remain independent. Alibaba has been advancing its AI ecosystem, establishing the Alibaba Token Hub and integrating AI features into its products, which contrasts with DeepSeek's independent model approach.