Jack Ma
马云
Founder and former Executive Chairman of Alibaba Group, pioneering China's e-commerce revolution
Biography
Jack Ma (Ma Yun), born September 10, 1964, in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, is the founder and former Executive Chairman of Alibaba Group, one of the world's largest e-commerce companies.
Born into a modest family, Jack Ma faced numerous challenges in his early life, including failing the college entrance exam twice. He eventually graduated from Hangzhou Teacher's Institute (now Hangzhou Normal University) in 1988 with a degree in English and worked as an English teacher for several years.
Jack Ma's entrepreneurial journey began in 1995 when he first encountered the internet during a trip to the United States. Recognizing its potential, he returned to China and co-founded "China Pages," one of China's first internet companies. In 1999, he gathered 17 friends and colleagues in his apartment to launch Alibaba, initially as a B2B platform connecting Chinese manufacturers with global buyers.
Under his leadership, Alibaba expanded beyond B2B e-commerce to include Taobao (C2C marketplace), Tmall (B2C platform), and Alipay (digital payments), fundamentally transforming how business is conducted in China and inspiring a generation of entrepreneurs.
Education Background
- 1988: Bachelor's degree in English from Hangzhou Teacher's Institute (now Hangzhou Normal University)
Major Achievements
- Founded Alibaba Group, one of the world's largest e-commerce companies
- Created Taobao, China's largest online shopping platform
- Launched Alipay, pioneering digital payments in China
- Led Alibaba's record-breaking IPO on the New York Stock Exchange in 2014
- Established the Jack Ma Foundation focusing on education and environmental conservation
Business Philosophy
Jack Ma is known for his customer-first philosophy and his belief in empowering small businesses through technology. He famously said, "If you want to be successful, learn from other people's mistakes, not their successes." His vision of making it "easy to do business anywhere" has guided Alibaba's global expansion and innovation in digital commerce, payments, and cloud computing.
Legacy and Impact
Beyond business, Jack Ma has been a vocal advocate for entrepreneurship, education, and environmental sustainability. He stepped down as Alibaba's Executive Chairman in 2019 to focus on philanthropy and education through the Jack Ma Foundation, continuing his mission to create positive social impact through technology and innovation.
Timeline
1964
Born in Hangzhou
EducationMedium ImpactSeptember 10, 1964
📍 Hangzhou, Zhejiang
Jack Ma was born in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China.
1982
Failed College Entrance Exam
EducationHigh Impact1982
📍 Hangzhou, Zhejiang
Failed the Chinese college entrance exam, scoring only 1 point out of 120 in mathematics.
1984
Failed College Entrance Exam Again
EducationMedium Impact1984
📍 Hangzhou, Zhejiang
Failed the college entrance exam for the second time, but showed improvement in mathematics.
1985
Admitted to Hangzhou Teacher's Institute
EducationHigh Impact1985
📍 Hangzhou, Zhejiang
Finally passed the college entrance exam and was admitted to study English at Hangzhou Teacher's Institute.
1988
Graduated with English Degree
EducationHigh ImpactJuly 1988
📍 Hangzhou, Zhejiang
Graduated from Hangzhou Teacher's Institute with a Bachelor's degree in English.
Started Teaching English
EducationMedium ImpactSeptember 1988
📍 Hangzhou, Zhejiang
Began working as an English teacher at Hangzhou Dianzi University.
1994
Founded Haibo Translation Agency
FoundingMedium Impact1994
📍 Hangzhou, Zhejiang
Established Haibo Translation Agency, his first entrepreneurial venture.
1995
First Encounter with the Internet
Pivotal MomentHigh ImpactApril 1995
📍 Seattle, USA
Discovered the internet during a trip to Seattle, USA, which changed his life forever.
Founded China Pages
FoundingHigh ImpactMay 1995
📍 Hangzhou, Zhejiang
Co-founded China Pages, one of China's first internet companies.
1997
Worked at Ministry of Foreign Trade
Management ChangeMedium Impact1997
📍 Beijing
Briefly worked for the Chinese government at the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation in Beijing.
1999
Founded Alibaba Group
FoundingHigh ImpactApril 4, 1999
📍 Hangzhou, Zhejiang
Gathered 17 friends and colleagues in his Hangzhou apartment to launch Alibaba.
2000
Secured $20 Million from SoftBank
FundingHigh ImpactJanuary 2000
📍 Beijing
Received crucial investment from SoftBank's Masayoshi Son during the dot-com winter.
2001
Established Alibaba's Six Core Values
Strategic TransformationHigh Impact2001
📍 Hangzhou, Zhejiang
Developed the 'Six Vein Sword' - Alibaba's core values that would guide the company culture.
2003
Launched Taobao During SARS
Product LaunchHigh ImpactMay 10, 2003
📍 Hangzhou, Zhejiang
Launched Taobao, a C2C marketplace, while the team was quarantined due to SARS.
2004
Launched Alipay
Product LaunchHigh ImpactDecember 2004
📍 Hangzhou, Zhejiang
Introduced Alipay, a third-party online payment platform, to solve trust issues in online transactions.
2005
Yahoo Invested $1 Billion
FundingHigh ImpactAugust 2005
📍 Hangzhou, Zhejiang
Secured $1 billion investment from Yahoo, the largest internet investment in China at the time.
2007
Taobao Defeated eBay in China
Major AchievementHigh Impact2007
📍 China
Taobao's free model successfully competed against eBay's paid model, leading to eBay's exit from China.
2009
Created Singles' Day Shopping Festival
Product LaunchHigh ImpactNovember 11, 2009
📍 China
Launched the 11.11 Singles' Day shopping festival, which became the world's largest online shopping event.
2014
Alibaba's Record-Breaking IPO
IPOHigh ImpactSeptember 19, 2014
📍 New York, USA
Alibaba went public on the New York Stock Exchange in the largest IPO in history at $25 billion.
2019
Stepped Down as Executive Chairman
Management ChangeHigh ImpactSeptember 10, 2019
📍 Hangzhou, Zhejiang
Retired as Executive Chairman of Alibaba on his 55th birthday to focus on philanthropy and education.
Related Stories
The Lakeview Apartment: 18 Founders and the Birth of Alibaba's Culture
In the spring of 1999, in a small apartment in Hangzhou's Lakeview Garden, eighteen people, a few folding chairs, and a whiteboard established the company's earliest and most important rule: Customers first, employees second, shareholders third.
The China Pages Gamble: Partnering with Hangzhou Telecom and Losing Control
In 1995, the partnership between China Pages and Hangzhou Telecom was like a key to the future, but also like a rope that slowly pulled the steering wheel from their hands. How did a series of seemingly minor concessions ultimately lead to a complete loss of control?
The B2B Cold Start: A War Fought with Free Listings and Cross-Time-Zone Calls
From 1999 to 2000, in a small apartment in Hupan Garden, a tiny team faced the classic chicken-and-egg problem of a B2B marketplace. They used 'free' as their first bullet and 'cross-time-zone phone calls' as their second, and between a few old telephones and stacks of English templates, they painstakingly pulled global buyers to their screens.
The SARS Quarantine: Taobao's Secret Birth
In the spring of 2003, the SARS epidemic locked down cities and forced companies to work from home. At this moment when business had nearly ground to a halt, Jack Ma assembled a secret team that, operating under a strict wartime rhythm in a sealed-off apartment, quietly created Taobao.
The Political Commissar: How Zhang Ying's Unwavering Belief Built Jack Ma's Empire
Everyone called him a 'fraud.' His own mother thought he was delusional. But his wife, Zhang Ying, made a bet that would change the course of internet history.
The Six-Minute Bet: How Alibaba Used Discipline to Survive the Dot-Com Winter
In the spring of 2000, a meeting so brief it was breathtaking resulted in a lifeline of funding. Yet, through the ensuing winter, they didn't follow the herd with mass layoffs. Instead, they used almost austere discipline and core values to forge a company into an army.
Taobao vs. eBay EachNet: A War for Hearts and Minds with a 'Free Forever' Strategy
While eBay EachNet built walls with portal ads and fees, Taobao threw 'Free Forever' and 'a marketplace where you can chat' into the ring. They rewrote the rules in plain language, measured customer service by the minute, and turned a website into a neighborhood.
The Seattle Spark: How a Blank Screen Ignited an Era
In 1995, a perilous business trip to the U.S. led Jack Ma to touch the internet for the first time in Seattle. A blank screen showing 'no data' completely altered the trajectory of his life, turning him from a translation agency owner into a pioneer venturing into the unknown digital wilderness.
The Six Vein Spirit Sword: How Alibaba Forged Its Backbone in 2001
When the dot-com tide receded, the naked swimmers were exposed. In 2001, Alibaba chose to forge a backbone for its organization with an invisible sword called the 'Six Vein Spirit Sword': Customer First, Teamwork, Embrace Change, Integrity, Passion, and Professionalism. These six phrases transformed from slogans on a wall into the code of conduct and the basis for reward and punishment for every single person.