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Networking Lessons from the Founder of E-commerce Giant, Alibaba Group

On September 10, 2018, Jack Ma announced his retirement plans from Alibaba Group, naming Daniel Zhang as his successor and preparing to step down as Executive Chairman in 2019 at the age of 54. 

Over 19 years, Ma transformed Alibaba from a modest venture in his apartment into one of the world’s largest e-commerce companies, valued at $420 billion at the time.

While Jack Ma is widely known as the face of Alibaba, he wasn’t alone in building the company. 

In fact, 17 other remarkable individuals co-founded Alibaba alongside him in 1999. 

So — who were they, and how did Ma bring them together to chase a bold e-commerce vision?

How Jack Ma’s Networking Skills Sparked Alibaba’s Rise

According to a study by iPrice Insights, Ma’s ability to build valuable connections was key to assembling Alibaba’s founding team. 

He met his co-founders through former students, ex-colleagues, mutual friends, and like-minded entrepreneurs. 

Together, this group brought diverse experience from industries such as journalism, investment banking, web development, and education.

This broad mix of expertise proved a strategic advantage. 

Unlike other tech giants often founded by just a handful of people, Alibaba’s 18-person founding team enabled the company to scale rapidly, making it Asia’s second-most valuable company by 2018.

Ma’s compelling vision for e-commerce also played a huge role in attracting exceptional talent to what was then a risky, unproven venture. 

Among them was Joseph Tsai, an investment banker who left a lucrative US$700,000-a-year job to join Ma for just US$50 a month. 

His bold move paid off — Tsai is now Vice Executive Chairman, co-founder of Alibaba, and the company’s second-largest individual shareholder after Jack Ma.

Empowering Women in Leadership

Notably, six of Alibaba’s 18 founders were women — a factor Ma often credits as one of Alibaba’s unique strengths. 

Lucy Peng, one of the founding members, left her teaching job in 1999 to join the team and was appointed CEO of Lazada in 2018 following Alibaba’s additional US$2 billion investment in the platform. 

Ma has frequently spoken about the importance of women in the company, noting that 47% of Alibaba’s workforce are women, with 33% holding senior roles.

These stories are just a few of the many that led to the now-famous meeting in Ma’s apartment in 1999.

Key Founders of Alibaba Group

1. Jack Ma – Executive Chairman, Alibaba Group

Born on September 10, 1964, in Hangzhou, China, Jack Ma earned his degree in English in 1988 and later became an English and International Trade lecturer at Hangzhou Dianzi University. 

He founded China Yellow Pages, the country's first internet company, before launching Alibaba in 1999. 

By 2019, Ma stepped down as chairman, shifting his focus toward education and philanthropy.

2. Joseph Tsai – Executive Vice Chairman, Alibaba Group

With degrees in Economics, East Asian Studies, and Law, Tsai left his high-paying role in investment banking to join Ma in 1999. 

His risk paid off, and he’s now Alibaba's Vice Executive Chairman and its second-largest shareholder.

3. Lucy Peng – CEO, Lazada

Peng began as a lecturer at Zhejiang University of Finance and Economics before joining the Alibaba founding team in 1999. 

She later became CEO of Lazada after Alibaba’s multi-billion-dollar investment.

4. James Sheng – Managing Director, Alibaba Singapore

A former designer, Sheng met Jack Ma while working on the China Yellow Pages website project. 

He became one of Alibaba’s founding members in 1999 and is credited with designing the company’s iconic smile logo. 

Sheng remains a Senior Vice President and Co-founder at Alibaba.

This blog is contributed by iPrice Insights Malaysia.

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