In 2016, I led the incubation of Yuque at Ant Group to address a critical pain point: our teams lacked a unified knowledge-sharing platform. Starting as an internal wiki focused on typography and reading comfort, Yuque gradually evolved into a comprehensive document management tool with features like permission controls, templates, and API integrations.
After two years of dedicated work, we transformed what began as an internal application into a knowledge base tool for knowledge workers. During this journey, I grew from a junior designer into a product lead. Each iteration reflected the product's growth, and in turn, my own. Yuque eventually launched publicly, transitioning from an internal tool to a commercial product that served a wider audience.
Within three years of going public, Yuque reached tens of millions of users, becoming one of China's most recognized knowledge management platforms. This period brought countless stories and memories, alongside deep reflections on building products and knowledge tools.
But by 2023, we had to face a harsh reality. Despite reaching millions of users, Yuque was still too small in the context of Ant Group, struggling to generate sufficient value at that scale. Eventually, our team disbanded and we all went our separate ways. Yet in my memory, this remains one of my most important projects—a true marker of my youth.
You can try Yuque at yuque.com.