Jack Ma’s name is synonymous with success. I mean, let’s give the man his due credit. Alibaba is worth about US$36.3 BILLION. In my bank account, having S$36.30 itself is a big thing.
Here are 10 facts about Jack Ma which you wished you knew earlier. It could possibly motivate you to become a tai-ko or tai-tai just like him too.
He Started Off As…
You won’t believe this one, but yes, he was an English teacher first! He hardly knew anything about computers. At that time, Jack Ma claims he probably only knew how to send and get emails.
Why the name Alibaba?
He always had one clear view – he wanted his company to go super-huge. Like on a global scale. Alibaba is a word that can be spelt easily. The first thing everyone would probably think of? “Open, Sesame!” Yup, from the 1,001 nights stories of the Arabian nights.
His First Paycheck Number
Imagine, you teach English at a university and get paid peanuts. In his case, he was paid about US$12-15 monthly. And he had to teach 500 students! He worked at the university for 5 years before stepping away.
The First Mainland Chinese Entrepreneur to…
He made it to the front cover of the esteemed Forbes magazine. Kudos, man.
The First Round of Funding For Alibaba Was Raised in 2 Hours
The amount? US$60,000. All he did was call 18 people to a meeting at his apartment, where he spoke to them about his visionary dream. Six months later, the second round of funding came from Goldman Sachs.
He Applied to Work at KFC and Got Turned Down
When he stopped working as a teacher, he looked for other jobs. After KFC turned him down, he shifted his focus to starting his own mini interpreting and translation company.
He Didn’t See His First Computer Until…
Imagine this. Jack Ma, THE JACK MA, saw his first computer when he was 31. He was on a trip to Seattle in 1995 on an interpretation gig, when he saw his first PC and used it to surf the good old World Wide Web. So if you’re young, you might not have seen the thing that’s going to propel you to super-successful status yet.
He’s Been Kidnapped
When he was in US, he wanted to help a friend collect a debt from an American businessman. The guy refused to pay when he came over to ask for the money, and instead locked Jack Ma in his house with a handgun. They had to work out a deal. The package involved Jack Ma following the businessman to Las Vegas, where Ma gambled at the slot machines and scored US$600. He escaped the bad guy and bought a plane ticket back to Seattle with the winnings.
Wah, like Hollywood movie already leh.
His Wife Thinks He’s Ugly
Aisey, so sad. She, however, said that while he’s not handsome, he can do many things that handsome men cannot. Include making truckloads of money.
His REAL Name
Jack Ma’s actual name is Ma Yun. Which sounds kind of cool, isn’t it?
See? Got so many things to learn from this man. Doesn’t matter where you’re from and where you’ve been, but what you make out of it.
You go, bro.
Watch this for a complete summary of what REALLY happened to Qoo10, and why it's like a K-drama:
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