Founders

Jack Ma is the founder of China’s largest e-commerce company, Alibaba. Ma started his professional life as an English teacher and translator. His interest in the internet led him to create a website in 1999. The website allowed international merchants to post listings, and consumers could buy directly from them. By 2005, the company was thriving and bringing in billion-dollar investors. Ma left his position as CEO in 2013 but remained with Alibaba as Executive Director. In 2017, Fortune ranked Ma second on its World’s 50 Greatest Leaders list.