Jack Ma bids farewell to Alibaba, the Chinese giant who revolutionized e-commerce

Jack Ma, one of the richest men in China, with a fortune estimated at $ 41 billion, wants to devote himself to philanthropic projects, including education.

His departure marks the beginning of a new era for a company that has been able to take advantage of the Internet outbreak in China and opted for the growth of domestic consumption, in a country that is now the leader in Internet commerce.

The entrepreneur, who himself recognizes a certain physical resemblance to E.T. (the famous extraterrestrial film Spielberg), is also known for his eccentricities. In 2017, he disguised himself as Michael Jackson at a gala, a very distant image of the impbadiveness of many Chinese leaders.

"His experience as an English teacher, his charisma and his sense of humor make him the iconic figure of Chinese entrepreneurs abroad", says Duncan Clark, author of the book "Alibaba: The House That Jack Ma Built."

"His influence as a symbol of Chinese entrepreneurship is unparalleled," he said.

Jack Ma discovered the Internet during a trip to the United States in the 1990s, while he was a resource-less entrepreneur.

After several projects in China, without much success, he convinced a group of friends to lend him $ 60,000 to launch an online trading company, Alibaba, in 1999.

The company, listed in the United States, has a value close to $ 500,000 million.

Jack Ma, who could retain some consulting functions in the company, did not comment on his retirement.

His successor, Daniel Zhang, is known for his rigor and rarely appears in public. However, the Chinese press says that it is he who has turned Jack Ma's "tractor" into a powerful "Boeing 747" of Internet trading.

"You have to be awake every minute, you have to keep your eyes open during sleep," said Daniel Zhang last year.