By Gail Sullivan
Alibaba is big. The sheer size of the Chinese e-commerce behemoth dominated headlines after the company filed plans Tuesday to offer shares in the United States, valuing itself at more than $100 billion.
But how did Alibaba get so big? And how did an English teacher barely acquainted with the Internet create what is by some measures the world’s largest e-commerce company? The answer can be summed up in four metaphors that are the favorites of Jack Ma, Alibaba’s chairman and founder.
“A blind man riding on the back of a blind tiger”
In 2008, Ma told Inc. magazine he had never even used e-mail when he launched his first online business 19 years ago, describing himself as “a blind man riding on the back of a blind tiger.” It’s a metaphor he has used many times to describe his path to success, which began how many success stories begin: with failure.
Click here for the rest of the story in The Washington Post
But how did Alibaba get so big? And how did an English teacher barely acquainted with the Internet create what is by some measures the world’s largest e-commerce company? The answer can be summed up in four metaphors that are the favorites of Jack Ma, Alibaba’s chairman and founder.
“A blind man riding on the back of a blind tiger”
Alibaba founder Jack Ma during a celebration of the 10th anniversary of Taobao Marketplace, China’s largest consumer-focused e-commerce Web site, in 2013. (Reuters/China Daily)
In 2008, Ma told Inc. magazine he had never even used e-mail when he launched his first online business 19 years ago, describing himself as “a blind man riding on the back of a blind tiger.” It’s a metaphor he has used many times to describe his path to success, which began how many success stories begin: with failure.
Click here for the rest of the story in The Washington Post
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