Jack Ma Interview

Charlie Rose:  - Welcome jack ma

J – thank you

Ch R – we’ve all become recognize of jack and his story and when  Alibaba went public  with the largest IPPO in  history we knew a lot about him. So I wanna talk about his personal story, I wanna talk how many times he tried and failed, what kept on going, I wanna  talk where he is today and how  he got  here  and where he is going  and how we expect  to get there and if he gets there what  will it  all mean for him  and  for the people are that he wants to inspire. So I began with this question: Jack why you back at DAVOS.

J – it is a long break for seven years. I think my last  trip here was in year  2008. I was coming for year 2001 for the young global leader for tomorrow and I think I remember I never heard about DAVOS when I came, but when I came Switzerland  so many young  people demonstrate and it was such a horrible scene that I had. I asked them why they all do it and they said ANTI  globalization and I ask why globalization is a great thing and why  people don’t like it? And then we come all the way for two hours here, there is some rushing down, there is people checking us feel about  is that fallen is that a prison we are gonna go is that? But when I joined the young global Leader I was thrilled by so many ideas and for the first three years I learned what does the globalization mean ? what does the copper to citizenship mean ? what does social responsibility mean? And all these new ideas and saw so many great leaders talking about leadership and I benefit a lot and the year 2008 and 9 when the financial crisis came I thought better go to work because we can never win the world by talking. So go back spend a seven years now I come back I think it is time to do something with them. So I learned so much then twelve years ago so why I should not talk to the young global leaders today  sharing with them how we got through.

Charles Rose: - Let’s start with where you are today ? Just how big is Alibaba ? how many people come every day and how many people come in a week? How fast is it growing?

Jack Ma: - We have over a hundred million buyers visiting our site shopping every day, we create fourteen million jobs in China directly and indirectly. We grow from eighteen people to 30,000 people. Compared 15 years ago we are big, but compared 15 years later we are still a baby.

Charlie Rose: - a big will be 15 years from now )))

Jack Ma: - I think 15 years ago I told to my team, in the past 15 years we growth  from nothing  to this sizes and 15 years later I want people seeing no  about Alibaba no about TAOBAO because it is already everywhere. I want 15 years ago we talked about what is the e-commerce, why small business can use this e-commerce can use  internet can do business across the nation and I hope 15 years later people forget about e-commerce because they think this like a  electricity, nobody think it is a high tech today. This is something that I don’t 15 years later we still walk on the street talking about why and how e-commerce can help people.

Charlie Rose: - Let’s talk about IPO. Did exceed your expectations ?

Jack Ma:- - it is a pretty small IPO 250.

Charlie Rose : -  Yeah a largest IPO in the history ))) and  number two with a Chinese bank )

Jack Ma: - thank you. I remember year 2001 when  we went to race a five minutes  remaining venture capitals dollars in USA and got rejected. And I say we come back raising some a little bit more but I think what we  think more about is for to $25 billion dollars. How we can spend the money efficiently because this is not the money, this is the trust from the world trust from those people, they wanted to better jobs  to help more people they will not have a good return. So I think give me more pressure. Because when our market cap is a big then IBM , we are one of the top 10-15 largest market cap company in the world. I told to my team and myself is that true? We are not that good.  Cause years ago people said Alibaba is a terrible and they make money have this have that and all big bad things and google is better e-bays is better …. There is not such a model like a Alibaba in the USA. I told myself to people we were better  then people though but today when we have that big size I said no we are not that good as people said. We are just a company a fifteen-years-old. Average age is a 27-28 years old for young people. We have doing something that human being have never tried.

Charles Rose: - I wont talk about the future, let me take you back to when you born in Hangzhuo where the headquarters still are. You grow up in 60s. born in 64 and it was a time cultural revolution.

Jack Ma: - It was the end of the Cultural Revolution. Well my grandfather was a tiny landlord was considered of liberation was considered bad. Bad guy, so I know how tough it was when I was a kid.

Charlie Rose:- -You tried to get into 3 colleges, each time they rejected you.

Jack Ma: - no, I tried  there is a examination the young people, if you wanna go to the university get a test take the examinations so I fold three times. But I fail for funny things that I failed from primary school test for two times, and I failed three times for the middle school. You will never believe in Hangzhou in my city there is only one middle school, that last only one year , it was changed form primary school to middle school because after  graduate  no middle school except us because we were too bad.

Charlie Rose: -  What affected have being rejected?

Jack Ma: - I think we have to get used to it we are not that good even today still a lot of people reject us. I think when I graduate from universities  and you know before this three years I tried to get this, so apply jobs a thirty times got rejected.  I went even to KFC, when KFC come to China come to my city 24 people went for the job, 23 people accepted I was only one guy who got rejected. So to me being  turn down rejected, out by the way I told to you that I applied for Harvard for 10 times rejected.

Charlie Rose: -  How you learned English?

Jack ma: -  I really like English. I don’t know may be 12-13 years old I felt the love for the English and there is no place you can learn English at that time.  There is not even English books. So I went to the Huangzhou hotel, that times it was the hotel which can receive foreign visitors. Everyday in for the nine years I showed them a run as a free tour guide and they tough me English and I think that changed in me today on a 100 percent made in China, I have never got one day training outside China. And when people talk to me Jack how can you speak English like that? Why sometimes you talk like a western guys? I think that was the nine years these Western tourists opened my mind because  everything they told me was so different from the things I learned in school and from my parents so, now I have a habit, whatever I see whatever read I use my mind.