Inc.

How I created e-commerce in China

ROAD SHOW “When you see me traveling a lot,” says Jack Ma, “that means our growth is very good. I spent 800 hours in the air last year.”

Jack Ma | Alibaba → China’s largest e-tail conglomerate

Jack Ma built one of the world’s biggest internet companies without learning how to code. The lead founder and executive chairman of Alibaba taught himself English by offering tours to foreign visitors of his hometown, Hangzhou, in eastern China. That’s where, in 1999, Ma launched Alibaba, which took in nearly $23 billion last year. Now Ma is hoping to expand his U.S. business, especially by encouraging more American companies to sell their goods on Alibaba’s platforms.

I STARTED MY FIRST INTERNET company in

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