Global

Jack Ma

Alibaba · Hangzhou, China

Rejected from Harvard ten times. Rejected from KFC. An English teacher who built the world's biggest commerce empire and then had it clipped overnight by his own government.

StorytellerOutsider mindsetMission-led

Apply for founder role→Take the founder exam →

Company

Alibaba

Journey

Moves that mattered.

1995
Saw the internet for the first time on a trip to Seattle — went home obsessed.
1999
Founded Alibaba in his Hangzhou apartment with 17 friends and $60,000.
2014
Largest IPO in history — $25B on NYSE.
2020
Disappeared from public view for months after criticizing Chinese regulators.

Struggles

Failed entrance exams, rejected by 30 jobs. Alibaba burned through cash for years before profitability.

Family

Married to Zhang Ying, his college sweetheart. Two children. Sings, paints, practices tai-chi publicly.

Related on Empire

Keep reading inside Empire.

Around the web

External references & backlinks.

External links open in a new tab. Empire is not affiliated with these publishers.

The full story

Jack Ma, in 1 chapters.

Ch 01
The story
Rejected from Harvard ten times. Rejected from KFC. An English teacher who built the world's biggest commerce empire and then had it clipped overnight by his own government.

Sources & further reading