Alibaba has formally announced the resignation of Xie Wen, president of Yahoo (YHOO) China, after only 40 days on the job.

Although representatives of Yahoo China, which is an affiliate of Alibaba, say that Xie left for personal reasons, Chinese online bulletin boards are filled with rumors that he fled the company because of different ideas about the company's development.

Jack Ma, CEO of Alibaba, has diplomatically told local media that though Xie resigned from his post, he holds a unique understanding of the Chinese Internet industry and his great passion for work has left a deep impression on the whole team at Yahoo China.

Xie took the position as president of Yahoo China on October 17. After his resignation, Zeng Ming, former acting president of Yahoo China, will take the president position, and Xie will work as a strategic consultant for Alibaba Group.