Qwen says future Qwen 4.0 and 5.0 models will stay open-weight
At APSARA, Qwen's head Liu Dayi Heng reportedly said Qwen models will remain open source, countering rumors of API-only releases.
Qwen's head, Liu Dayi Heng, reportedly told the APSARA Conference that future Qwen 4.0 and 5.0 models will remain open source. A Reddit post shares a slide from his talk to support this. The slide was built around the conference theme "Intelligence Goes Beyond" and emphasizes "open source and openness." The post presents the slide as a direct answer to rumors that later Qwen releases would be available only through an API.
The evidence in the post is a set of usage figures rather than a formal policy document. It cites more than 3 billion cumulative downloads, more than 460 released open-source models and more than 300,000 derivative models.
Commenters in that thread were largely supportive. One remarked that the quote treats AI as a broadly accessible foundational capability.
Why it matters
Open-weight availability from Qwen affects self-hosting and vendor-lock-in decisions for companies planning long-term model stacks.
What you can do
Keep open-weight Qwen models in your self-hosting options. Treat the stated future licensing as an intention, not a contract.
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