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10 memorable quotes by Alibaba's Jack Ma
If you want to grow, find a good opportunity. Today, if you want to be a great company, think about what social problem you could solve.
ET Bureau|
Updated: Sep 25, 2014, 12.52 PM IST
Alibaba, the enormous Chinese e-commerce company, began trading on the New York Stock Exchange last week. At its helm is founder Jack Ma, a charismatic leader who started the company with 18 friends out of his small apartment in 1999, in Hangzhou.
Although Ma is no longer CEO of Alibaba, he is still the face of the company. Ma has succeeded because he is relentless and some of his quotes illustrate this:
ON HAVING A LARGER MISSION
"It doesn't matter if I failed. At least I passed the concept on to others. Even if I don't succeed, someone will succeed."
ON COMPETITION
"You should learn from your competitor, but never copy. Copy and you die."
"If we are a good team and know what we want to do, one of us can defeat ten of them."
ON THE BENEFITS OF HIS TECHNOLOGICAL INEPTITUDE
"Intelligent people need a fool to lead them. When the team's all a bunch of scientists, it is best to have a peasant lead the way. His way of thinking is different. It's easier to win if you have people seeing things from different perspectives."
ON STARTING A COMPANY
"If you want to grow, find a good opportunity. Today, if you want to be a great company, think about what social problem you could solve."
ON WORK
"If we go to work at 8 am and go home at 5 pm, this is not a high-tech company and Alibaba will never be successful. If we have that kind of 8-to-5 spirit, then we should just go and do something else."
ON NOT GIVING UP
"Today is cruel. Tomorrow is crueller. And the day after tomorrow is beautiful."
ON PERSEVERANCE
"We will make it because we are young and we will never, never give up."
ON GROWTH
"In carrying out e-commerce, the most important thing is to keep doing what you are doing right now with passion, to keep it up."
ON PAST MISTAKES FROM
"The dark days at Alibaba": "If you don't give up, you still have a chance. And when you are small, you have to be very focused and rely on your brain, not your strength."
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