History of Jack Ma in Timeline
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.
September 1964: Jack Ma's Birth
In September 1964, Jack Ma Yun was born in China. He is a Chinese businessman and philanthropist, and founder of the Jack Ma Foundation.
1980: Meeting Ken Morley
In 1980, Jack Ma met Ken Morley, who was traveling with his family. Ma became pen pals with Ken's son, David, and years later, the Morleys hosted Ma in Australia, which significantly impacted his life.
1982: Failed College Entrance Exam and Job Rejection
In 1982, at the age of 18, Jack Ma failed the Chinese college entrance exam on his first attempt and was rejected for a waiter position due to his physical appearance.
1983: Failed College Entrance Exam (Second Attempt)
In 1983, Jack Ma failed his college entrance exam for the second time, although his math score improved to 19 points.
1984: Took College Entrance Exam (Third Attempt)
In 1984, Jack Ma took the college entrance exam for the third time, scoring 89 points on the math section, but still falling short of the minimum benchmark for university acceptance.
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.
1994: Can You Feel The Love Tonight by Elton John
In September 2017, to celebrate Alibaba's 18th year of its establishment, Ma performed a partial rendition of Elton John's 1994 hit single Can You Feel The Love Tonight
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.
2009: Jack Ma performed at Alibaba birthday event
In 2009, Jack Ma performed at Alibaba birthday event dressed up as a lead heavy metal singer at a 2009 Alibaba birthday event.
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: Ma reveals lack of technical expertise
At a press conference in 2010, Jack Ma revealed that he had never written a line of computer code, nor had ever made one sale to a customer, and that he only acquired a personal computer to do business with for the first time at the age of 33.
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.
September 2014: Views on American Society and Value Systems
On 24 September 2014, Jack Ma stated that the strength of American society comes from being rooted in its Judeo-Christian heritage and said China needs a positive value system to overcome the Cultural Revolution legacy.
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.
2016: Owner of Château de Sours, Chateau Guerry and Château Perenne
As of 2016, Jack Ma is the owner of Château de Sours in Bordeaux, Chateau Guerry in Côtes de Bourg and Château Perenne in Blaye, Côtes de Bordeaux.
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.
September 2017: Alibaba's 18th anniversary performance
On 8 September 2017, Jack Ma appeared on stage to celebrate Alibaba's 18th year of its establishment with a Michael Jackson-inspired performance.
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.
2017: Acting Debut and Participation in Singing Festival
In 2017, Jack Ma made his acting debut with the kung fu short film "Gong Shou Dao" and participated in a singing festival during Alibaba's 18th-anniversary party.
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.
November 2018: Identification as Member of Chinese Communist Party
In November 2018, the People's Daily identified Jack Ma as a member of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), surprising many observers.
2018: PBOC Sought to Regulate Ant Group
Starting in 2018, the People's Bank of China (PBOC) sought to regulate Ant Group as a financial holding company, due to the company deriving approximately 90% of its revenue from financial services.
2019: Recognition as Asia's Hero of Philanthropy
In 2019, Forbes named Jack Ma in its list of "Asia's 2019 Heroes of Philanthropy" and awarded him the Malcolm S. Forbes Lifetime Achievement Award for his work supporting underprivileged communities in China, Africa, Australia, and the Middle East.
2019: Endorsement of 996 Working Hour System
In 2019, Jack Ma publicly endorsed the 996 working hour system, calling it a "huge blessing" for success. He also predicted future AI advancements could lead to shorter workdays but expressed skepticism about AI's ability to replace human "love quotient".
October 2020: Stepping down from Alibaba board
In October 2020, Jack Ma officially stepped down from the board of Alibaba.
October 2020: Lack of Public Appearances and Regulatory Crackdown
News outlets noted the absence of Jack Ma from public view between October 2020 and January 2021, coinciding with increased regulatory scrutiny of his businesses. This period aligned with a speech he gave criticizing Chinese regulators and banks.
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.
November 2020: Shanghai Stock Exchange Halted Ant Group's IPO
On 3 November 2020, the Shanghai Stock Exchange halted Ant Group's IPO due to concerns about financial stability and Ant Group's classification as a technology company versus a financial services company.
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: Lack of Public Appearances and Regulatory Crackdown
News outlets noted the absence of Jack Ma from public view between October 2020 and January 2021, coinciding with increased regulatory scrutiny of his businesses. This period aligned with a speech he gave criticizing Chinese regulators and banks.
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.
2022: Move to Tokyo, Japan
In 2022, Jack Ma moved to Tokyo, Japan, largely retreating from public life.
January 2023: Changes to Ant Group's Ownership Structure
In January 2023, Ant Group announced major changes to its ownership structure and corporate governance, reducing Jack Ma's voting rights from 50% to 6% and adding an independent director to the board.
March 2023: Public Appearance in Hangzhou, China
In March 2023, Jack Ma made a public appearance touring the Yungu school in Hangzhou, China, marking his first public appearance in several months.
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.
October 31, 2024: 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.
2024: Replaced SoftBank as Alibaba's Largest Shareholder
In early 2024, Jack Ma replaced SoftBank as Alibaba's largest shareholder.
February 2025: Attended Symposium Hosted by Xi Jinping
On 17 February 2025, Jack Ma attended a symposium with Chinese industry leaders, hosted by Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, although his name was omitted in certain state media reports.
May 2025: Jack Ma's Net Worth
As of May 2025, Jack Ma's net worth was estimated at US$27.2 billion.
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