Jack Ma
Former English teacher who founded Alibaba
- Age
- 62 yrs
- Birthday in 308 days
- Works listed
- 0
- Career highlights
- Honours
- 1
- Most recent 2016
- Profile views
- 2
- 0 followers
Jack Ma is a Chinese businessman and former English teacher who co-founded Alibaba in his Hangzhou apartment in 1999. Alibaba became China’s largest e-commerce company, and its payment arm became Ant Group. After he criticised regulators in 2020, Ant’s record IPO was halted and he largely withdrew from public view.
Biography
Background
Ma practised English as a boy by guiding tourists in Hangzhou. He failed the university entrance exam twice before studying at Hangzhou Teachers College and becoming an English teacher.
Alibaba
After seeing the internet on a 1995 trip to the US, he started China Pages and in 1999 co-founded Alibaba with 17 others, connecting Chinese manufacturers with buyers. Taobao and Alipay followed.
IPO
Alibaba’s 2014 New York listing raised $25 billion, then the largest IPO ever. Ma stepped down as chairman in 2019.
Ant Group
In October 2020 he criticised Chinese financial regulation; days later Ant Group’s planned $34 billion IPO was suspended. He spent time abroad and gave up control of Ant in 2023. He has since appeared at a 2025 meeting with President Xi Jinping.
Timeline
-
1964
Born in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
-
1995
First visit to the US; China Pages
-
1999
Co-founds Alibaba
-
2003
Taobao
-
2004
Alipay
-
2014
Alibaba IPO in New York
-
2019
Retires as chairman
-
2020
Ant IPO halted
-
2023
Gives up control of Ant
Awards and honours
-
Knight of the Legion of Honour
2016
Did you know?
-
1
He was rejected for a job at KFC.
-
2
He appeared in a kung-fu short film, Gong Shou Dao (2017).
-
3
Alibaba is named after the story of Ali Baba.
Connections
Frequently asked
Who is Jack Ma?
Jack Ma is a Chinese businessman and former English teacher who co-founded Alibaba in his Hangzhou apartment in 1999. Alibaba became China’s largest e-commerce company, and its payment arm became Ant Group. After he criticised regulators in 2020, Ant’s record IPO was halted and he largely withdrew from public view.
How old is Jack Ma?
Jack Ma is 62 years old, born on 10 September 1964 in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.
Where is Jack Ma from?
Jack Ma was born in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.
What is Jack Ma known for?
Jack Ma is best known for Co-founding Alibaba (1999); Taobao, Alipay and Ant Group; retreat from public life after 2020.
What awards has Jack Ma received?
Notable honours include Knight of the Legion of Honour (2016).
References
- Jack Ma — Wikipedia. Wikipedia. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
- Jack Ma — Britannica. Encyclopaedia Britannica. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
- Jack Ma — Hindi Wikipedia. Wikipedia (Hindi). Retrieved 4 November 2026.
- Jack Ma (Q1137062) — structured data. Wikidata. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
Includes material from the Wikipedia article “Jack Ma”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. That text is available under the same licence. Learn more
External links
About this profile
- Researched by the TrackFame editorial team; reviewed by Sanjay Sokal under our editorial policy
- First published 4 November 2026
- Last updated
Cite this page
“Jack Ma.” TrackFame, last updated 5 November 2026. https://trackfame.com/person/jack-ma
Discussion 0
Sign in or create an account to join the discussion.
No comments yet — be the first.
More in Technology
Technology
Sachin Bansal
Co-founder of Flipkart and founder of Navi
Born 1981
Technology
Satya Nadella
Chairman and CEO of Microsoft
Born 1967
Technology
Nandan Nilekani
Infosys co-founder and architect of Aadhaar
Born 1955
Technology
Ritesh Agarwal
Founder of the hotel chain OYO
Technology
Vijay Shekhar Sharma
Founder of the digital payments company Paytm
Born 1978
Technology
Sundar Pichai
CEO of Google and Alphabet
Born 1972