Jack Ma: The future has come

Chapter 17 Young people are the future (4)
In the next 30 years, I want to follow you, because you will change the world, please seize this opportunity.

Entrepreneurs must be responsible

I believe in the future, I believe in others more than I believe in myself.In fact, I am not good at mathematics, have never studied management, and do not understand accounting.As of today, I can't read the financial statements either.It's the truth, and I don't find it shameful.It’s not shameful to admit that you don’t understand, it’s shameful to pretend you don’t understand.So far, I have never bought anything on Taobao, and I have never used Alipay. I don’t know how to use it.But my ears are pricked up, always listening to others talking about whether Alipay is good or not.Once I use it too much, I will defend my product.If I don't use it, I will forever worry about whether it is good or not.Worrying is the only thing that can keep me up at night, and only if I can't sleep, can anyone else in this company be able to sleep.

I watched "The Chinese Partner" and it was a good movie.But there is a big problem with this movie: the hero keeps crying.Entrepreneurs don't cry, they make others cry.Entrepreneurs always believe in the future and young people.If you don't trust others, Alibaba's programs cannot be written; if you don't trust others, the e-commerce market will not be so big.

Entrepreneurs must be responsible.To this day, Alipay still has huge controversy.In fact, when we were preparing to start Alipay and Ali Finance in 2004, I knew that one day we would encounter such troubles, and I was also entangled.Later, at the Davos meeting, I heard many politicians and entrepreneurs talking about "what is responsibility".I think what they said is right, you should bravely take on things that are beneficial to social development.After that meeting, I called back to the company in Davos and said: "Do it immediately, now, and immediately. If there is a problem, I will solve it." At the internal meeting of Alibaba Finance, I told all my colleagues: "If We have activated and innovated China’s financial reform, and if someone has to pay the price based on this, I will take this responsibility.” I believe that if we really have the hope of improving society, activate finance, serve the industry, and innovate steadily, We will definitely get better and better, and the society will see our role more and more clearly.

I hope that everyone will persist in looking at the problem with optimism.I am a person who has made countless mistakes. Ali has encountered at least 15 catastrophes in the previous 100 years, but he survived them all.It can be said that we have more people today than at that time, and the knowledge and ability we have today are stronger than those at that time. However, if we go all over again, we will definitely not be able to survive those disasters.We insist on encouraging ourselves with optimism, and believe that there will always be someone in this world who will succeed.We believe that Alibaba and Taobao can make it, and someone must be able to do it.We're sure someone is spending more time learning these things, just to see if we're lucky.Such is cruel life.Therefore, you must work very hard today to face the cruelty of tomorrow; you must work very hard tomorrow to see the sun of the day after tomorrow.However, the vast majority of people can't see the sun in the day after tomorrow, because hard work is not enough, you also need luck.Where does luck come from?Luck is when you think about others when you are good, and check yourself when you are not, I believe you will come over.

Always smiling, even though I'm hurting inside
In this world, the most powerful weapon is a smile, a smile can resolve all problems.I always have a smile on my face, even though I have a lot of internal wounds.Born in such a market environment as China, Alibaba is both accidental and inevitable.Because the market mechanism started to work, and because a group of young people believed in me, we were able to make something like this in the market.

Everyone has experienced countless challenges.Many people say that they have no chance and have never won.I said you have won. Before you were born, you won the race against hundreds of millions of sperm. When you come to this world, you will succeed.After coming to this world, you have passed numerous exams and entered the university, and obtained a university diploma.So, you already have a good foundation.However, those who have the foundation may not win, and those who run fast today may not be able to go the farthest.I never thought that I, a graduate of Hangzhou Normal University, could be a consultant of the School of Economics and Management.Therefore, everyone should remember: you are the best today, not necessarily the best tomorrow; you are poor today, but society has given you many opportunities, as long as you grasp them and work hard, there will always be a chance to win.

Let me give you a suggestion: always believe that your opponent is not by your side, and those who are by your side are your role models, even if you hate this person.Many years ago, I said: "I have never found an opponent with a telescope." They said, you are so proud.In fact, they didn't listen to my next sentence: I am not looking for an opponent with a telescope, but a role model.Your opponent may be in Israel, maybe somewhere you don't know, and he works harder than you.When you get a diploma from Tsinghua University, you stop studying, because you think you graduated from the best university in China; while that person graduated from Hangzhou Normal University, he is constantly learning, working hard, and constantly improving. enterprising.Think about it, what will the future hold?So, beat yourself, this is the real hero!

Editor's note:

On June 2014, 6, Jack Ma was invited to participate in the 29 Graduation Ceremony of the School of Economics and Management of Tsinghua University and shared his experience and thinking with the students as a guest speaker.

7. Women are the box office, women are the economy

The economic development of Chinese society is experiencing and undergoing tremendous changes: from the original investment, manufacturing, and real estate as the mainstream of the economy, to the future consumption as the largest domestic demand.Who is the main force of consumption?female!
The economy in "her time" tasted better
Some young people once asked me: What is happiness in life?I think the most important thing is to have a happy marriage and family.With this, you have already got a passing grade in life; and big or small successes in your career are extra points.

I think women should be confident.Today, the world is undergoing earth-shaking changes.Many CEOs in the world's top [-] are women. Women move from the kitchen to the living room and then to the political and business circles. They are invincible without bloodshed.

In a family, women make more decisions than men!Chancellor Merkel of Germany, a woman shoulders most of Europe's troubles, amazing!We can also get inspiration from film and television dramas. The times have changed, from women acting for men to watch, and now men have become "little fresh meat" to attract women's attention-women are the box office, women are the economy!
This is a changing world. In the process of this change, whoever adapts to the change will win the future.And women are increasingly becoming the masters of this world.Laozi once told Confucius the story of teeth and tongue, and told everyone the principle of using softness to overcome rigidity.Only those who understand this truth can adapt to and change the world.

Men are constantly exploring the universe outward, while women are good at exploring people's hearts inward.Men understand the world, women understand the soul.But touching hearts gets it all.The logic of the current business world is from manufacturing to service, and what customers want is no longer general service, but experience.What is experience?Experience is to serve others with heart and do things with heart.So here's your chance for women!

Looking back at history, it takes about 50 years for a great transformation to complete.The Internet revolution has just gone through the first 20 years, and in the next 30 years, we will truly enter the Internet era.And one of the core things in the Internet age is that others are the center. Only by making others better can you be better yourself.Men think more about themselves, women think more about others, women should think about their parents, children, this and that.Women also do the best job of balancing career and family. Most women are good wives and mothers, and they are also doing well in their careers.Therefore, in the service-oriented era, women's quality of being willing to consider others and the ability to balance life and career will win opportunities for themselves.Without women, there would be no Alibaba; without women, Taobao would have no users.

Opportunities for women are earned by themselves

In the company, both men and women have their own characteristics and have various opportunities.Ali has never stipulated the proportion of female employees.I'm against feminism, and I'm even more against masculinity.This is an era that is slowly moving towards the mean.The golden mean is not divided into two, but to grasp the most appropriate point.Although men and women are from two different planets, they must learn to cooperate, appreciate and respect each other.

Women are fragile, but mothers are great.Because the mother is responsible for the education of the child, to some extent, the mother determines the future of the child.We should "carve" children with appreciation.Speaking of education in China, China's education is not bad, but China's education is problematic. "Education" refers to the cultivation of children by parents, in terms of thought, action, morality, values, and emotional intelligence.Children's EQ comes more from their mothers, while their IQs come more from their fathers. Only children with both high IQs can have a brighter future.

Women can become leaders in any organization. The CEO of Ant Financial Services under our company, Peng Lei, is a woman.The leader must be responsible.What does it mean to be responsible?It is to be able to take responsibility. When there is a problem, I am sorry, I will take it. This is my problem.Both men and women have to do this.This era does not give women enough opportunities, but whether it is Merkel or female multinational CEOs, their opportunities are not given by others, but won by themselves.

Regarding entrepreneurship, before the age of 30, everyone should follow a good leader. When we are 30 to 40 years old, we should think about what we want to do.Not everyone is suitable for starting a business. Those who are suitable for starting a business must have experienced many disasters, setbacks, and tortures. At the age of 40, we must work hard to form a team full of ideals. In your 40s and 50s, spend time doing the things you love the most. In your 50s and 60s, spend time with young people, because they will be your hope. After the age of 60, spend time on the beach with your wife and children.

Women's entrepreneurship has created a more colorful Taobao. Maybe five years later, the economy of "her era" will be more flavorful; maybe ten years later, the world will truly enter the era of women.

Editor's note:

On May 2015, 5, Alibaba Group held the "Global Female Entrepreneurs Conference" in Hangzhou, and Jack Ma delivered a speech at the conference.

8. When you empower women, you empower the future

20 years ago, I founded my own company, China Yellow Pages, in Hangzhou, building websites for Chinese companies.At that time, very few people knew about the Internet, and we were doing very hard.I persuaded a local hotel, Lakeview Hotel, to create a homepage for it.Four months later, I received an email from three women from the United States saying that they were going to Beijing to attend the World Conference on Women and needed to book a room.I said, ladies, this hotel is more than 1000 kilometers away from Beijing!They said they were not aware that this was the only Chinese hotel they could find on the Internet.After the meeting, the ladies still came, flew from Beijing to Hangzhou, and stayed for two days.

I don't know where these women are now, but I often think of them and thank them for giving me the confidence and courage to continue my business.

Work hand in hand with women to double the efficiency
Twenty years have passed, and the world's investment in helping women has increased rapidly and progress has been rapid.There are many government leaders who are excellent women today, and there will be many more in the future.The potential of women is enormous.

But I think we need to not just help women, but do everything we can to get women to help us.More importantly, we need to recognize that being in the company of women, working hand in hand, is multiplied in effectiveness.

People always ask me why Alibaba has been able to grow so fast in 15 years?People think this is a miracle, but I want to tell you that the secret weapon of Alibaba's rapid growth is that we have many female employees.35% of Alibaba's founders are women, 34% of senior managers are women, and 52% of employees are women.Of course, after all, the company needs men, and we men still account for 48%, and we still need to work harder.Having said all this, it is enough to say that I am very optimistic that we will do better in the future.

I believe gender equality can be achieved by 2030
In today's world, the strength of a person is no longer judged by the amount of muscle, but by the flexibility of the mind, including IQ, EQ, language quotient, and "love quotient".

Advances in technology have convinced me that women can do better.There are more than 1000 million sellers on the Alibaba platform, more than half of whom are women.The average age of female entrepreneurs online is 15 years younger than offline.We found that when men are in business, they pay too much attention to numbers and competition, which makes business too ruthless; while women's business makes business more interesting, leisurely, humane and touching, and gradually becomes a way of life.

I believe gender equality can be achieved by 2030 with our current vision, capabilities and resources.What we need now is action. We need concrete plans and firm convictions.Come together in 2030 to celebrate a gender-equal world.

When you empower women, you are actually empowering our future.

Editor's note:

On September 2015, 9, the Global Women's Summit was held at the United Nations Headquarters.As the co-chairman of the Global Entrepreneur Leaders Conference on Women's Empowerment and a representative of global entrepreneurs, Jack Ma delivered a speech at the summit.

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