Jack Ma: The future has come

Chapter 6 Ali's Next Decade (1)
1. A great company must solve social problems

Why has Alibaba been able to develop to its current scale?Because we believe in the future. Ten years ago, I told people that I firmly believed that the Internet was the future.Even if we are not successful, someone else will be successful.To this day, I still believe in the future.In China, there are Taobao, Baidu and Tencent. Have young people no longer had opportunities?I think it must be the same situation in Korea, everyone will think, already there are companies like this, can we survive? I thought the same about Bill Gates 10 years ago, is it because of Microsoft that I don't have a chance?Is it because of Google that I don't have a chance?No, opportunities are everywhere.Because of the Internet, because of cloud computing, and because of big data, everyone in this world has opportunities.

Where is the opportunity?Opportunity is where someone complains, I tell myself, and tell young people as well.In China, when people complain, opportunities arise.Dealing with people's dissatisfaction, solving existing problems, this is our opportunity.If you complain like everyone else, there is no hope for you.So when I hear other people complaining, I get excited because I see an opportunity and I think about what I can do for them.

From changing successful people to changing people who aspire to succeed
Today's Alibaba Group, Alipay and Cainiao are all too big, and at this scale, many headaches arise every day.When I was young, I told myself that one day I would become the CEO of a big company and that my life would be so much easier.But that's definitely not the case, your life is never going to be easy when the company is getting bigger and new problems pop up every day.

Although life is not easy, we still have to face it.Therefore, when your company has a small number of employees, you have to find the right position; when the company grows in size, if you notice something wrong, you need to change it six months in advance.Because often by the time you realize you have to change, it's usually too late.Like the Titanic hitting an iceberg, it will sink quickly.I often ask myself, how can I make this ship sail safely?It is not easy. We have created 1200 million direct and indirect jobs in China. If our ship sinks, 1200 million jobs will be at risk.

So, we asked ourselves, where should we go and how can we compete with the future?In the 20th century, to be a great company, you usually only need to seize one or two opportunities; in the 21st century, if you want to be a great company, you must solve social problems.There are many social problems in China, and I believe that companies like ours can help solve social problems.The first is to create jobs; the second is to expand domestic demand and make the countryside and farmers rich; the third is to make China's economy better.

Job creation is very important.Some people say that this is not your problem, but the government's problem.I think this is my problem. From the day we formed the company in 1999, we defined our mission.I say to the 17 founders, we're here because we want to help small businesses grow, that's our mission.Small businesses are the main group of job creation, and they have unlimited creativity.Although Alibaba is growing now, we must not forget the mission we started from the first day of the company.Just like first love is usually the best, first love is often the most beautiful love.During these 14 years of hard work, we always remember that the objects we serve are small businesses.Even if we do Taobao later, we are still helping small businesses. There are 900 million small sellers on Taobao.This is the original intention we must remember, and we must continue.We are still creating jobs today.

The second is domestic demand.In China, the coastal cities are rich and it is easy to make money from the rich.Everyone wants to make money from the rich, but how to make money from the poor?We need to make the poor rich before we can earn their money.

In a big open coastal city, if there are 21 people on the bus, usually 20 of them are salesmen, and everyone wants to sell you something.If you were one of the salespeople, what would you do?Seeing someone else has 5 yuan in their pocket, a successful salesman will think about how to get that 5 yuan into his own pocket, and a good entrepreneur will think about how to turn that person's 5 yuan into 50 yuan, and then Get 2 yuan, this is the best way.Helping others get rich is what I do.

In China in the future, many people want to get rich.Helping other people get rich, and then you get a piece of it, is a way to get rich too.Why are Taobao and Alibaba growing so fast?One of our philosophies is: never try to change or convince a successful person, change or convince someone who wants to succeed in an easier way.

When we started Taobao 10 years ago, we found many successful people.They say, "No, no, no, I'm never going to shop online, it's so stupid." They're successful people, and it's impossible to change successful people, but it's fun to change people who aspire to be successful.

Therefore, we believe that the potential of China's economy does not lie in the big cities and open coastal cities, but in the central and western regions.People in these areas want to be rich and successful, and there are hundreds of millions of farmers who want to be successful.If we can help them succeed, we have a huge opportunity.

Ten years ago, I just wanted to survive

How to make China's economy better?Now China has the problem of smog, water and food safety, we are very depressed.How to improve them?I believe that the Internet is not a tool for making money, but a tool for improving social conditions and changing the way people think.I have a big wish, and I believe it will come true, that China will change because of the Internet.People say to me, "Jack, everyone wants to move out of China, nobody wants to stay in China, China sucks." No!The future will always be better than today.Human beings have experienced many difficult times, wars, disasters, and famines.We also face challenges today, and they are not the most difficult.We will survive, China will survive.Our generation grew up in the Internet environment, we are open and transparent, we learn how to enjoy freedom, and we know what is happening all over the world.

I believe the younger generation must be smarter than us.They are diligent and have better opportunities, how can they not solve these problems?Five years ago in China, people said, "Jack, you're a businessman, why are you talking about water, air, and trees?" I said, "There's a problem with water, air, and trees. If we don't do anything, China will have Trouble.” Today, everyone is complaining about the water, the air and the environment.Stop whining, it's too late!On the contrary, it is an opportunity for our generation to improve these situations.Some people say that China has problems here and there, and those who only complain will never succeed, and those who seize opportunities amid other people's complaints will have opportunities in the next 20 years.My real brother, he complains a lot, I don't complain, he hasn't changed much in 30 years, but I keep changing.Therefore, I would like to say to the young people today, always keep high expectations for the future, and try to change yourself a little every day, just a little.

People also ask me: "Jack, did you have such a big goal 10 years ago? Did you know that you would have Taobao, Alipay?" No, I'll tell you the truth, I never thought I would so successful. 10 years ago, I just wanted to survive. I just wanted to be able to pay my employees and pay myself.

But even then, I still had hope for the future.I know that if I don't work hard, I don't have a chance.The past 14 years have given me a profound experience that I hope to share with all young people.No matter how many people complain, whether you like it or not, I tell you that 20 years from now, there will be richer people, more successful people, and bigger companies than today, that’s for sure .This is reality whether you like it or not.But whether the richer person will be you depends on how hardworking you are, how smart you are, and whether you will help others regardless of gains or losses.

Today, when you are "small", think "big" and do things "subtle".And when you get "big", think "small".With such a large scale, Alibaba must think about creating job opportunities, helping impoverished areas get rich, and changing China's environment.This is a complaint, but also an opportunity.

Editor's note:

On December 2013, 12, Jack Ma was invited to give a speech at the "Centennial Memorial Hall of Modern Legal Education" at Seoul National University in South Korea.In his speech, he shared with the students the challenges he encountered in the early stage of entrepreneurship and the process of solving the problems, and made in-depth exchanges with the students on the future development of e-commerce, entrepreneurship, career choices and other issues that young people care about.He pointed out that the younger generation should not only succeed in their own careers, but also pay attention to national construction.

After 2.70, lead Ali into the next ten years

When we started our business in Lakeside Gardens[16] 5 years ago, it was difficult to recruit staff.At that time, we had a wish, hoping that one day Alibaba would be "rich with horses and strong generals like clouds".For this ideal, and to truly realize the vision of healthy and sustainable development for 102 years, we have invested more time and energy than other start-up companies in personnel training, organization and culture construction.

Since 2003, we have implemented a successor training plan for each position, and we have incorporated culture, values, and teamwork into the performance appraisal of each colleague. In 2009, the tenth anniversary of the founding of Alibaba, in order to ensure the future inheritance of Alibaba culture, we officially launched the partnership system. In 2012, we started to prepare for the overall replacement and upgrading of Alibaba's leadership rejuvenation.At the same time, in order to better balance the continuity and stability of the group's overall strategy, and improve the rapid response and innovation capabilities of implementing management instructions, Ali Group established a strategic decision-making committee (the chairman serves as the chairman) and an executive management committee (the CEO serves as the chairman). chairman).

The situation is getting stronger.Along the way, we have been lucky to seize the opportunities that the Internet has brought us.We have also formed our own understanding of the company's management system in the transition from the IT era to the DT era in the vague feeling and firm consciousness: In the DT era, any business innovation and change must be accompanied by organizational culture. innovation and change.We prepared very hard for 16 years for this.

All Ali's "military power" handed over to post-70s

I clearly remember writing to everyone that year, announcing that I would no longer be the CEO of Alibaba Group.Alibaba will have numerous CEO and organizational successions in the future, because the rules and experience passed down by the organization must be formulated and accumulated when we are young and strong.

The future is the most difficult to grasp, because it changes, it is impermanent.The best way to grasp the future is not to preserve yesterday or strive to maintain today, but to create the future.We always believe that young people can create the future more than us, because they are our future.Investing in young people is investing in your own future.

Now, I am pleased to see: After years of hard work, Alibaba Group has been able to fully hand over the leadership to the post-70s.

From May 2015, 5, Lu Zhaoxi will step down as the CEO of Alibaba Group and serve as the vice chairman of the board of directors of the group.Wang Jian, Shao Xiaofeng, Zeng Ming and Wang Shuai will also hand over the daily management rights to the post-10s management team cultivated by us.After handing over the management work, they will fully devote themselves to the construction and development of the Group's strategic decision-making committee, focusing on strategy, talent training, cultural construction and inheritance.This also marks that Alibaba Group will fully control the "military power" by the post-70s generation!
Zhang Yong, who was born in 1972 and worked in Alibaba for eight years, succeeded Lu Zhaoxi as the third CEO of Alibaba Group.I am ashamed to say that I used to say that no one is afraid of the sky, no earth is afraid of the CFO being the CEO, and Xiaoyaozi (Zhang Yong) was born as a CFO.What is gratifying is that we not only have an outstanding leader like Xiaoyaozi, but also a group of post-70s heroes standing behind him: Wu Minzhi from B2B, Zhang Jianfeng (Xingdian) from Taobao, Hu Xiaoming (Sun Quan) from Alibaba Cloud ), Tong Wenhong from the rookie, Yu Yongfu from the mobile Internet, and Jiang Peng (Sanfeng), Dai Shan (Su Quan), Wu Yongming (Dongxie) and Jiang Fang who have experienced many battles and play in the midfield.After several years of hard work, in the management of Alibaba, the post-70s accounted for 45%, the post-80s accounted for 52%, and the post-60s accounted for only 3%, and 3000 outstanding post-90s talents joined the Alibaba Group .

Here, I would like to especially thank Lu Zhaoxi.The past two years have been two years in which Alibaba Group's business has grown by leaps and bounds, and they are also two years in which I can focus more on strategy, culture and talent cultivation.I know better than anyone how much pressure, courage and sacrifice is required to be the successor of the exaggerated Jack Ma and the second CEO of such a large, complex and ever-changing group.After Lu Zhaoxi became the vice chairman of the board of directors of the group, he will cooperate with me in this new position with vice chairman Cai Chongxin: focus on the growth of young people, and focus on the construction of the Alibaba Group CEO handover system.

Complete the construction of the global e-commerce network in the next 5 to 10 years

Every generation has its own glory, and every generation has its own mission and task.Over the past 16 years, Ali people have proved with their persistence and actions that e-commerce can change and affect our lives, and we have created our own unique business model.But we should not be satisfied with today's achievements, let alone live in the praise of others or self-righteous success.We should not just live in the outside world's profit expectations for us every quarter. We must still live in our own ideals and in the expectations of our customers and the market as we have done in the past 16 years.Therefore, the Alibaba management born in the 70s will lead us to seize the opportunities of the Internet + era in the next 10 years and enter the era of cloud computing and big data with all our strength.

I believe that within five years, that is, in 5 (the 2019th anniversary of the establishment of Alibaba), Ali Group will become the world's first company with platform sales exceeding one trillion U.S. dollars.Of course, we can’t just be the best selling company, we also hope to build a truly open, transparent and prosperous business ecosystem through our e-commerce, finance, logistics, data, cross-border trade and other platforms and services , allowing countless companies to engage in business activities conveniently.We believe that in the five years from 20 to 2019, Alibaba's business ecosystem will be further globalized, and through cloud computing and big data technology, a global network that can serve 2024 billion consumers and tens of millions The business ecological platform of "global buying, global selling" enables small and medium-sized enterprises all over the world to truly participate in fair, free, open and equal global trade through creativity, innovation and creation.

We firmly believe that the next 30 years will be the era when Internet technology will truly profoundly change all aspects of society. Cloud computing, big data, artificial intelligence, smart cities, and bioengineering will make countless dreams come true.This is our time, especially the young people's time.

(End of this chapter)