Alibaba Group Holding Limited, founded in 1999 by Jack Ma and a group of fellow entrepreneurs in Hangzhou, China, has grown into one of the world’s leading e-commerce and technology conglomerates. Originally established as a business-to-business marketplace connecting Chinese manufacturers with overseas buyers, the company has since expanded its platform offerings to serve a broad spectrum of merchants, brands and consumers around the globe.
At the core of Alibaba’s operations lie its consumer-facing marketplaces, including Taobao Marketplace, Tmall and AliExpress. Taobao connects hundreds of millions of individual sellers and buyers in China, while Tmall caters to international and domestic brands seeking to reach Chinese consumers. AliExpress enables cross-border retail transactions for customers outside China, and the company’s strategic investment in regional platforms such as Lazada reinforces its presence across Southeast Asia.
Beyond e-commerce, Alibaba has diversified into cloud computing, logistics and digital media. Alibaba Cloud is a leading infrastructure-as-a-service provider in Asia, offering computing, data storage and artificial intelligence solutions to enterprise and government clients. Cainiao Network, the company’s logistics arm, partners with carriers and warehouse operators to streamline delivery across China and into global markets. In the digital entertainment space, Alibaba invests in platforms such as Youku Tudou video streaming and Alibaba Pictures, while its affiliate Ant Group delivers payments and financial technology services through Alipay.
Alibaba’s listing on the New York Stock Exchange in September 2014 marked one of the largest initial public offerings in history. Today, under the leadership of Executive Chairman and CEO Daniel Zhang—who succeeded Jack Ma as CEO in 2015 and as chairman in 2019—the company continues to innovate across commerce, cloud computing and digital media, with a focus on serving both domestic and international markets.
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