Jack Ma: The future has come

Chapter 13 Jack Ma's Internet World View (4)
Either be a platform company, or make good use of the platform
I personally think that you must either be a platform company, or work for the platform, or make good use of the platform.Because it is impossible for every company to become a platform.The first technological revolution gave birth to factories, the second technological revolution gave birth to companies, and the third technological revolution gave birth to platforms.What really becomes a platform is not your technology, not your product, but your thinking.The idea of ​​the platform is to make others stronger and stronger to serve others.Today in China, there are few platform companies like Ali.At the beginning, Alibaba was not a big platform. At that time, we mainly helped enterprises to export. If enterprises could not sell goods on Alibaba and did not make money, we would go bankrupt.Later, it was the same with Taobao. If the people who bought it were unhappy, we would be unhappy.Alipay is the same.The core value system of platform companies is how to make others stronger, while brand companies gather all resources to make themselves stronger.Not all enterprises can become a platform, if you cannot become a platform, then make good use of the platform.Of course, if you want to become a platform, you must understand a truth: make your customers strong, your employees strong, your suppliers strong, and your competitors strong.In this way, you can make a good platform.

According to our understanding, the platform is a new type of weapon that appeared in World War II - the aircraft carrier.The aircraft carrier itself is a platform, it cannot fight, only the carrier-based aircraft on it can fight. The role of the aircraft carrier is to provide ammunition and fuel for the carrier-based aircraft, so that the carrier-based aircraft can take off and land quickly.But the aircraft carrier needs the protection of the frigate.We can't fight wars ourselves, so if someone fights with us, we suffer a lot.Who was it that defeated the opponent?It's the businesses on our platform that beat other businesses.Others say that e-commerce does not make money, but 95% of China's profitable e-commerce companies make money on our platform.This is the core of platform thinking.

To repair the roof on a sunny day
I think you need to understand one thing in order to start a business: what do you have?what would you like?What should you give up?We are always thinking about what I want, but the real wisdom is to think clearly about what I don't want.Small businesses consider what kind of people to hire, while large companies consider what kind of people to fire.When you have 5000 people in your hands, when you have more than 200 products in your hands, the level of your thinking will be different.

When an enterprise develops to a certain scale, many things will happen. You have to learn to grasp the big and let go of the small, and think clearly about what is important and what is not.We have encountered many problems during the development process, and there are also many problems that we have not encountered, because we have spent a long time thinking about them.At that time, we thought, what will happen if the company has more than 3000 people?What happens to more than 1 people?What happens to more than 1 million in revenue?What troubles will be encountered if the income exceeds 50 billion or 100 billion?Every time, when the problem curve is rising, we have to start changing, and we can't wait until it reaches the peak before starting to change.I keep reminding myself to fix the roof on a sunny day and not wait until it rains so that I can take cover when the storm hits.

Every company has a different way of managing, but there is no doubt that everyone has come to this day because of the same fundamental things, that is, the investment, love and research on management.If you lack this basic skill and lack of thinking, one day your life will definitely be difficult.

Shopping malls are like battlefields, and two companies compete with each other. There is actually no big difference in the quality of people and the strength of technical equipment. It depends on who spends more time on management.Management is to rely on the power of people, capital and knowledge.I have met many successful entrepreneurs, many political leaders, many artists, and they must be optimistic about the future.Pessimistic people will not succeed.

To be successful, you must have four elements: the ability to learn, the ability to reflect on yourself, the ability to change yourself, and persistence.I've met countless so-called successful people, none of whom considered themselves successful.Now I am worried every day, like walking on thin ice, just like when you climbed Mount Everest, you don't have time to enjoy the scenery, you don't know which direction the wind will blow.You take a photo with a red flag on Mount Everest, stay up for 2 minutes at most, and then hurry down the mountain.If you love your industry, your company, your model, and your products, keep learning and learn with an open mind.To reflect on yourself, not on others, not on your employees, is on your own problems.To change is to change yourself first, and only when you change will your organization change.Then, give yourself enough time to persevere.

to have children while young and strong
We climb up a mountain, not to climb down a mountain, because after climbing up the next mountain, you still have to go down.To maintain such concentration, that is called level.Everyone sees a problem from a different perspective. The angle, depth, and breadth of your perspective determine the future of your company.

Today I am very good at bragging. I go around talking here and there, and I find that I can’t do what young people do, so I will brag when young people work.One day, the young man boasted better than me, and I retired.In fact, talents come out crop by crop in this way.You must have a child when you are young and strong. Don’t have a child when you are 80 years old. The child born at that time may not be good, because you have no strength and you don’t know how to manage him.If you are 40 years old today, you can have two children if you can't have two children, you still have a chance.Therefore, it is necessary to train successors earlier. The people who have worked with us for 10 years are really hard and tiring. Let them go when they should go.

Editor's note:

On July 2016, 7, Jack Ma led the students of the first and second phases of Hupan University to Haier headquarters in Qingdao for a two-day exchange.Ma Yun delivered a speech on enterprise management.

7. Starting tomorrow, life will be my job
We are very lucky people. Whether it was 20 years ago or 10 years ago, I didn't believe that I was so lucky.Being a CEO is hard, but being a CEO's employee is even harder.I am especially grateful to my colleagues for trusting me. Today, 10 years ago, when SARS was at its worst in China, everyone had no confidence and no one was optimistic about the future.The dozen or so young people in Ali believe that China will be even better in 10 years.

Taobao 10 years, thanks for trust
Ten years later, e-commerce has received enormous attention in China.Countless people paid a huge price for this, and persisted for 10 years for an ideal.I have been thinking that even if 10% of the things in Alibaba Group don’t exist today, these 99 years are worth it, and I have no regrets in this life, not to mention we have so many friends, so much trust, and so many people who persist.

I have no reason to be successful, Ali has no reason to be successful, and Taobao has no reason to be successful, but we have walked for so many years and are still full of ideals for the future.What made us what we are today?What made Jack Ma what he is today?I think it's a kind of trust.When everyone does not believe in the world, the future, and others, we choose to believe, we choose to believe that China will be better in 10 years, we choose to believe that our colleagues will be better than us Do better, Chinese young people will do better than us.

Today's China is building trust.There are 2400 million Taobao transactions every day, which means that in China, there are 2400 million trust relationships circulating every day.You would pay a stranger who has never heard the name, buy something that you may have never seen, and then have it travel hundreds of thousands of kilometers to someone you don't know, and deliver it to you superior.

Thanks to all Ali people, you have given hope to this era.Like all the post-80s and post-90s in China, you are trying to build a new kind of trust. This kind of trust will make the world more open, more transparent, better able to share, and take more responsibility.I am proud of you. I am colleagues with you in this life, and we will still be colleagues in the next life!

look for opportunities, seize opportunities

Today's world is a changing world. 30 years ago, none of us thought that China would become a big manufacturing country; no one thought that computers would be so widely used; no one thought that the Internet would develop so well in China; We will do it; no one thought that we could gather here today and continue to imagine the future.

When many people have not figured out what is PC and what is the Internet, the mobile Internet has come; when many people have not figured out the mobile Internet, the era of big data has come again.The age of change is the age of youth!Today, many young people feel that companies like Google, Baidu, Tencent, and Alibaba have taken up all the opportunities. 10 years ago, when we saw many great companies, we were also confused by this and asked ourselves whether there was still a chance. 10 years of persistence and dedication have brought us to where we are today.If this is not an era of change, young people have no chance.In the industrial age, seniority is considered, and you will always need a rich dad.But we don't, what we have is persistence and ideals.Many people hate change, but because we grasp the change, we can see the future.In the next 30 years, there will be more changes in this world and this China, and this change is an opportunity for everyone.We have no way to change yesterday, but today, 30 years later, is decided by the group of us today.Change yourself, start from scratch, and stick to it for 10 years!
Human beings have entered the commercial society.I'm also a businessman, but unfortunately, businessmen in this world don't get the respect they deserve.This era is no longer an era of profit-seeking. I think we are just like any profession such as artists, educators, and politicians. We are all doing our best to improve this society. 14 years of experience in business has taught me to understand life, what is hardship; what is persistence; what is responsibility; what is success of others is my own success.What we look forward to most is the smile of the staff.

The only way not to be confused is to trust the young
No one is sure that you will be popular for five years, and no one can say that you will not lose, you will not grow old, and you will not be confused.The only way to be undefeated, not old, not confused is to believe in the young, and to believe in them is to believe in the future.

Being a company of this scale has given me a little self-esteem, but in terms of contribution to society, this company has just begun.What we get today far exceeds what we paid for.The society hopes that this company will go far and go for a long time, because it hopes that we can solve or participate in solving social problems.There are so many problems in society today, and these problems are our opportunities.

Ali people insist on serving small businesses, because small businesses are the place where China has the most dreams. 14 years ago, we put forward the vision of "making it easy to do business in the world". Today, this mission falls on young people.People say that e-commerce and the Internet have created unfairness, but my understanding is that the Internet has created real fairness.All Ali people should support small businesses, they will definitely become the biggest taxpayers in China in the future.

"Heal the world" [11] is a good song, but there are many things in this world that we cannot do.As long as each of us does our job well and does the job we are interested in, we are already great.Let's work together and work hard to improve China's environment, make the water clear, the sky blue, and the food safe.

Editor's note:

On the evening of May 2013, 5, Alibaba Group held the Taobao 10th Anniversary Party in Hangzhou Huanglong Gymnasium, with 4 participants.Jack Ma announced his resignation as CEO of Ali Group and delivered a resignation speech.

(End of this chapter)