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Wency Chen

Jack Ma, founder of Alibaba Group Holding, received a rock-star welcome on Friday as he appeared at an annual event for staff and family, lifting employees’ spirits during a time of strategic repositioning at the business empire he established, according to company sources.
Ma, 60, visited Alibaba’s campus in Hangzhou, capital of east Zhejiang province, in the evening. He toured a replica of the flat where he founded the company 26 years ago and attended a music show alongside thousands of employees.
Although he did not deliver a speech, photos and videos of his appearance went viral on Chinese social media. Employees were seen cheering the return of Ma, who remains the largest shareholder and spiritual leader of the company.
Alibaba, owner of the South China Morning Post, kicked off its two-day annual gathering on Friday to honour family members for their support of employees. This year, AliDay celebrations are being held in Alibaba offices in Hangzhou, Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and overseas.

At the replica flat, one wall displayed a quote from late Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping written by Ma in 2008: “Development is the hard truth”. Employees lined up to pay homage on Saturday.
A founding team member of Alibaba’s office tool DingTalk, surnamed Luo, recalled how the 100-square-metre (1,076 sq ft) space once accommodated 50 people. “Everyone rushed in early in the morning just to grab a seat,” he said, adding that the visit had rekindled his memories of entrepreneurship.
An algorithm developer for online marketplace Taobao surnamed Qian, who joined Alibaba right out of graduate school last year, waited half an hour to tour the replica. “From a small room like this to the expansive campus today – it feels magical,” she said.
An employee at Alibaba’s artificial intelligence (AI) lab in Beijing, surnamed Chen, attended AliDay during a business trip. Having joined the company last year through campus recruitment, he visited to better understand the company’s humble beginnings.

“I want to learn from Teacher Ma’s entrepreneurial spirit; it offers valuable insights for my future career,” he said.
Alibaba, which has a market capitalisation of about US$300 billion, is currently helmed by chairman Joe Tsai and CEO Eddie Wu Yongming, both co-founders of the company, while Ma has resigned from all corporate roles. Tsai also attended AliDay on Saturday.
In a memo published on Friday, Wu said Alibaba would “mobilise at full strength and concentrate our efforts on a few core strategic priorities”, with “key initiatives driven jointly by multiple businesses”, suggesting a shift away from the original plan to break the company into six major business groups.
Employees across various Alibaba divisions expressed excitement over the changes, with one employee exclaiming, “Make Alibaba Great Again!” – a reference to US President Donald Trump’s slogan.

An employee, who declined to provide his name, said he had been working for Alibaba’s logistics arm, Cainiao, for a year and a half and attended AliDay with his cat for the first time.
He said the new policy allowing cross-communication among different business groups had enhanced his “sense of belonging” within the company, which employs around 200,000 people.
Alibaba faces intense competition in e-commerce, its primary revenue source, with both established and emerging rivals engaging in price wars to attract shoppers amid weak domestic consumption.
However, the company is rapidly establishing itself as an AI solutions provider for both consumers and businesses. The company has committed to invest at least 380 billion yuan (US$52 billion) in AI infrastructure over the next three years, marking the largest computing investment plan by a private Chinese enterprise.


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Jack Ma, founder of Alibaba, visits the company’s campus in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, on Friday. Photo: Handout

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A replica of the flat where Jack Ma founded Alibaba. Photo: Wency Chen

AliDay is an annual event commemorating the founding of Alibaba. Photo: Wency Chen

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A cheerful mood at Alibaba’s annual event for friends and family, as the company navigates business challenges


A cheerful mood at Alibaba’s annual event for friends and family, as the company navigates business challenges.


Jack Ma’s Alibaba visit and replica flat spark nostalgia over company’s humble start

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}A cheerful mood at Alibaba’s annual event for friends and family, as the company navigates business challenges

A cheerful mood at Alibaba’s annual event for friends and family, as the company navigates business challenges