Career Timeline of Jack Ma: Major Achievements and Milestones

Discover the career path of Jack Ma, from the first major opportunity to industry-changing achievements.

Jack Ma Yun is a prominent Chinese businessman and philanthropist known for co-founding Alibaba Group, Yunfeng Capital, and the Jack Ma Foundation. With an estimated net worth of US$27.2 billion as of May 2025, he is a significant figure in the technology and e-commerce industries. His entrepreneurial endeavors have had a profound impact on the global market, particularly in China, and he is recognized for his philanthropic efforts through his foundation.

Sections (5)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements Success & Recognition Challenges & Struggles

1988: Graduation and Lecturing at Hangzhou Dianzi University

In 1988, Jack Ma earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Hangzhou Normal University. After graduating, he became a lecturer in English and international trade at Hangzhou Dianzi University.

1988: Job Rejections After Graduation

In 1988, after graduating from Hangzhou Normal University, Jack Ma applied for 31 different odd entry-level jobs and was rejected for every single one, including a job at KFC.

1994: Founded Hangzhou Hope Translation Agency

In 1994, Jack Ma founded his first business, Hangzhou Hope Translation Agency.

1994: Heard about the Internet and Started Hangzhou Haibo Translation Agency

In 1994, Jack Ma heard about the Internet and started his first company, Hangzhou Haibo Translation Agency, an online Chinese translation agency.

April 1995: Opened China Pages office

In April 1995, Jack Ma and his business partner opened the first office for China Pages and started their second company.

May 1995: Registered chinapages.com

On May 10, 1995, Jack Ma and his business partner registered the domain chinapages.com in the United States.

1996: Acquisition by China Telecommunications Corporation

In 1996, Ma’s company, Hangzhou Hope Computer Services Co., Ltd, was acquired by China Telecommunications Corporation after operating an online yellow pages service.

1998: Headed IT company for China International Electronic Commerce Center

From 1998, Jack Ma headed an information technology company established by the China International Electronic Commerce Center.

October 1999: Alibaba won venture seed capital from Goldman Sachs

In October 1999, Alibaba won a venture seed capital from the American investment bank, Goldman Sachs.

1999: Co-founded Alibaba Group

In 1999, Jack Ma co-founded Alibaba Group, initially as a business-to-business (B2B) e-commerce marketplace, expanding it into a multinational technology conglomerate.

1999: Established Alibaba

In 1999, Jack Ma quit his job at China International Electronic Commerce Center and returned to Hangzhou with his team to establish Alibaba, a business-to-business marketplace site.

1999: Executive chairman of Alibaba Group

Since 1999, Jack Ma served as the executive chairman of Alibaba Group.

January 2000: Alibaba won venture seed capital from SoftBank

In January 2000, Alibaba won venture seed capital from the Japanese investment management conglomerate SoftBank.

2001: Preparing for China's entrance into the World Trade Organization

In 2001, Alibaba was preparing to improve the domestic Chinese e-commerce market in anticipation for China's entrance into the World Trade Organization.

2003: Established Taobao Marketplace, Alipay, Ali Mama and Lynx

Since 2003, Jack Ma established Taobao Marketplace, Alipay, Ali Mama and Lynx.

2008: Donation to Sichuan Earthquake Victims

In 2008, Alibaba donated $808,000 to victims of the Sichuan earthquake.

2009: Trustee of The Nature Conservancy's China Program

In 2009, Jack Ma became a trustee of The Nature Conservancy's China program.

May 2010: Alibaba to earmark revenue for environmental protection

At the annual general meeting of shareholders for Alibaba.com in May 2010, Jack Ma announced Alibaba Group would begin in 2010 to earmark 0.3% of annual revenue to environmental protection, particularly on water- and air-quality improvement projects.

2010: Joined Global Board of Directors of The Nature Conservancy

In 2010, Jack Ma joined the global Board of Directors of The Nature Conservancy.

July 2011: Alipay ownership dispute resolved

In July 2011, the ownership dispute over Alipay was resolved by Alibaba Group, Yahoo!, and Softbank.

November 2012: Alibaba's online transaction volume exceeded one trillion yuan

In November 2012, Alibaba's online transaction volume exceeded one trillion yuan.

May 2013: Ma stepped down as the chief executive officer of Alibaba

On 10 May 2013, Jack Ma stepped down as the chief executive officer of Alibaba, but remained as the executive chairman of the corporation.

September 2014: Alibaba IPO on the New York Stock Exchange

In September 2014, it was reported that Alibaba was raising over $25 billion in an initial public offering (IPO) on the New York Stock Exchange.

2015: Launch of Alibaba Hong Kong Young Entrepreneurs Foundation

In 2015, Alibaba launched a nonprofit organization, the Alibaba Hong Kong Young Entrepreneurs Foundation, to support Hong Kong entrepreneurs. In the same year, the company funded the rebuilding of 1,000 houses damaged by an earthquake in Nepal and raised money for another 9,000. He also founded the Hupan School, a business school.

2015: Founded Hupan University

In May 2021, Jack Ma resigned from the presidency of Hupan University, which he had founded in 2015.

January 2017: Met with Donald Trump

On 9 January 2017, Jack Ma met with United States president-elect Donald Trump at Trump Tower, to discuss the potential of 1 million job openings in the following five years through the expansion of Alibaba's business interests in the United States.

2017: Advocacy for Big Data and AI in Planned Economy

In 2017, Jack Ma advocated for the use of big data and AI to implement elements of a planned economy, suggesting it could eliminate historical information gaps.

September 2018: Stepping down as executive chairman of Alibaba

In September 2018, Jack Ma announced his plans to step down as executive chairman of Alibaba Group Holding in the coming year to focus on philanthropy through his foundation. Daniel Zhang was appointed to take over as executive chairman.

September 2018: Establishment of Jack Ma Foundation and Retirement Announcement

In September 2018, Jack Ma started the Jack Ma Foundation and announced that he would retire from Alibaba to pursue educational work, philanthropy, and environmental causes.

October 2020: Stepping down from Alibaba board

In October 2020, Jack Ma officially stepped down from the board of Alibaba.

November 2020: Replacement as Judge on Africa's Business Heroes

In November 2020, Jack Ma was replaced as a judge on the television show Africa’s Business Heroes, with Alibaba executive Peng Lei taking his place, reportedly due to a schedule conflict.

2020: Ant Group IPO halted

In 2020, Chinese regulators halted the initial public offering (IPO) of Ant Group, Jack Ma's digital payments company, following his criticism of China’s financial regulators.

2020: Response to COVID-19 Pandemic

In 2020, the Alibaba Foundation and Jack Ma Foundation launched various initiatives in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including donating medical supplies to the United States and other countries.

January 2021: Public Appearance via Video Link

On 20 January 2021, Jack Ma made a public appearance again, speaking via video link to a group of rural teachers at the annual Rural Teacher Initiative.

May 2021: Resignation from Hupan University Presidency

In May 2021, Jack Ma resigned from the presidency of Hupan University, which he had founded in 2015.

May 1, 2023: Invited Professor at Tokyo College

From May 1, 2023 to October 31, 2024, Jack Ma had been an invited professor at Tokyo College, a research institute at the University of Tokyo. His research focus was on sustainable agriculture and food production.