Jack Ma Quotes - Page 3

EBay may be a shark in the ocean, but I'm a crocodile in the Yangtze River. If we fight in the ocean, we lose, but if we fight in the river, we win.

Don't even trust that you are able to unify what everyone is thinking; it is impossible

I wanted to have a global company, so I chose a global name. Alibaba is easy to spell, and people everywhere associate that with "Open, Sesame," the command that Ali Baba used to open doors to hidden treasures in One Thousand and One Nights.

Today, making money is very simple. But making sustainable money while being responsible to the society and improving the world is very difficult.

Opportunity lies in the place where the complaints are.

Always let your employees come to work with a smile.

The quality of a good leader therefore is his vision, tenacity, and his capability.

If we go to work at 8 a.m. and go home at 5 p.m., this is not a high-tech company and Alibaba will never be successful. If we have that kind of 8-5 spirit, then we should just go and do something else.

Global vision, local win.

When you have one million dollars, you're a lucky person. When you have 10 million dollars, you've got trouble, a lot of headaches.

Adopt and change before any major trends or changes.

When we have money, we start making mistakes.

Even if your competitor is still small in size or weak, you should take him seriously and treat him as a giant. Likewise, even if your competitor is massive in size, you shouldn't regard yourself as a weakling.

A leader should never compare his technical skills with his employee's.

My dream was to set up my own e-commerce company. In 1999, I gathered 18 people in my apartment and spoke to them for two hours about my vision. Everyone put their money on the table, and that got us $60,000 to start Alibaba. I wanted to have a global company, so I chose a global name.

Rather than having small smart tricks to get by, focus on holding on and persevering.

I don't want people in China to have deep pockets but shallow minds.

Customers first, employees second, and shareholders third.

If Alibaba cannot become a Microsoft or Walmart, I will regret it for the rest of my life.

I'm not a tech guy. I'm looking at the technology with the eyes of my customers, normal people's eyes.

Customers should be number 1, Employees number 2, and then only your Shareholders come at number 3.

If we are a good team and know what we want to do, one of us can defeat tons of them.

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.

All MBA have said are correct, but they can't execute it.

Alibaba is an ecosystem that helps small business to grow.