In just a decade and half Jack Ma, a man who rose from humble beginnings
and started his career as an English teacher, founded and built Alibaba
into the second largest Internet company in the world. The company's $25
billion IPO in 2014 was the world's largest, valuing the company more
than Facebook or Coca Cola. Alibaba today runs the e-commerce services
that hundreds of millions of Chinese consumers depend on every day,
providing employment and income for tens of millions more. A Rockefeller
of his age, Jack has become an icon for the country's booming private
sector, and as the face of the new, consumerist China is courted by
heads of state and CEOs from around the world.
Granted unprecedented access to a wealth of new material including
exclusive interviews, Clark draws on his own first-hand experience of
key figures integral to Alibaba's rise to create an authoritative,
compelling narrative account of how Alibaba and its charismatic creator
have transformed the way that Chinese exercise their new found economic
freedom, inspiring entrepreneurs around the world and infuriating
others, turning the tables on the Silicon Valley giants who have tried
to stand in his way.
Duncan explores vital questions about the company's past, present, and
future: How, from such unremarkable origins, did Jack Ma build Alibaba?
What explains his relentless drive and his ability to outsmart his
competitors? With over 80% of China's e-commerce market, how long can
the company hope to maintain its dominance? As the company sets its
sights on the country's financial and media markets, are there limits to
Alibaba's ambitions, or will the Chinese government act to curtail them?
And as it set up shop from LA and San Francisco to Seattle, how will
Alibaba grow its presence and investments in the US and other
international markets?
Clark tells Alibaba's tale within the wider story of China's economic
explosion--the rise of the private sector and the expansion of Internet
usage--that haver powered the country's rise to become the world's
second largest economy and largest Internet population, twice the size
of the United States. He also explores the political and social context
for these momentous changes. An expert insider with unrivaled
connections, Clark has a deep understanding of Chinese business mindset.
He illuminates an unlikely corporate titan as never before, and examines
the key role his company has played in transforming China while
increasing its power and presence worldwide.
