On August 17, Meituan kicked off its campus recruitment drive for the class of 2027, targeting graduates from November 2026 to October 2027 both domestically and internationally. The company is offering more than 100 different positions across 10 major categories, including technology, product management, business analysis, operations, retail, and sales, with opportunities spread across dozens of cities worldwide such as Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Chengdu, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, and Riyadh.
This year, Meituan has aligned its recruitment strategy with its "retail + technology" focus, opening up over a hundred roles to provide diverse career paths for graduates from various academic backgrounds. Compared to previous years, the company has introduced more than ten new AI-native positions, including AI full-stack engineers, AI product managers, and intelligent business analysts. Notably, over 80% of the job descriptions now explicitly require AI-related competencies.
A recruitment executive highlighted that the company is specifically seeking candidates with an "AI Native" mindset—individuals who proactively consider how to leverage AI to solve problems and enhance collaboration and service delivery in their daily work, while also staying grounded in business operations to identify and address real-world challenges. Building AI-era capabilities has become a new priority in this year's talent development strategy.
"We aim to help newcomers gradually establish human-machine collaboration habits in real work environments," the platform's recruitment lead stated. The company will provide extensive AI tools and resources, encouraging campus hires to test their creative ideas in practice. Additionally, through a vast internal knowledge base and an online learning platform featuring tens of thousands of courses, graduates will have ample opportunities for self-directed learning and growth.
In recent weeks, major internet companies have been rolling out their recruitment plans for the 2026 graduating class, revealing notable shifts in talent demands. Data compiled up to August 8 shows that Alibaba, ByteDance, Tencent, Meituan, JD.com, and Xiaomi have all launched their campus hiring initiatives, with overall recruitment volumes significantly higher than last year. AI-related R&D positions now account for a substantial share of these openings. For instance, Alibaba plans to fill over 60% of its positions with AI-related roles, and within business units like Alibaba Cloud, Alibaba International, and DingTalk, that figure rises to 80%. Tencent has also dramatically increased its investment in AI-focused campus hires.
Industry insiders note that amid the fierce competition for AI talent, there is both urgency and a need for clarity. This early-starting "autumn recruitment" season reflects China's internet sector accelerating its push into AI frontiers. However, as the definition of AI talent expands—from foundational model research to application deployment and governance frameworks—China's internet industry faces a more significant long-term challenge: building a comprehensive AI talent ecosystem. This represents the next marathon after the sprint of the current hiring season.