Ma Yun, known professionally as Jack Ma, is a Chinese business magnate who is the founder and executive chairman of Alibaba Group, a conglomerate of Internet-based businesses. Jack Ma founded Alibaba Group, the world’s largest collection of e-commerce websites. The Hangzhou, China-based company operates sites including Taobao, the nation’s biggest shopping site. The group has more than 400 million active buyers in more than 190 countries. Ma also owns a stake in online payment service Alipay. He is one of China’s richest men, as well as one of the wealthiest people in Asia, with a net worth of US$47.8 billion, as of November 2017. He has become a global icon in business and entrepreneurship, one of the world’s most influential businessmen, and a philanthropist known for expounding his philosophy of business. He was ranked 2nd in Fortune’s 2017 “World’s 50 Greatest Leaders” list.
Jack Ma shares his views on globalization and Donald Trump’s populist rhetoric.
Alipay has more than 800 million registered users. Its mobile application has 190 million active users and handles 45 million transactions a day, the company said in October 2014. Ma stepped down as Alibaba Group CEO on May 10, 2013. He remains chairman. Alibaba’s initial public offering in September 2014 was the biggest in the world. He said in the interview that he’s not happy being China’s richest man, and would someday return to teaching.