Jack Ma attracts attention when he reappears

Jack Ma appeared simply in Hangzhou. Photo: Wency Chen .

As Alibaba Group enters a period of strategic reorientation, the image of the 60-year-old founder, friendly and quietly walking among the crowd, evokes the entrepreneurial spirit that has inspired tens of thousands of employees over the past two decades.

Jack Ma was at Alibaba's headquarters in Hangzhou (Zhejiang) in the evening, touring a replica of the small apartment where he founded the company 26 years ago. Afterwards, he and thousands of employees attended a musical performance as part of AliDay - an annual event to honor relatives of Alibaba employees.

Although he did not make an official statement, Jack Ma's appearance was considered a "star comeback", especially during a period when Alibaba was facing many internal changes and market pressure. Videos and photos recording the moment he walked around campus and visited the startup apartment quickly spread on Weibo and became a trending topic.

The reconstructed apartment, which covers an area of about 100 square meters, was once the workplace of the first 50 founding members. A wall here is reprinted with a famous quote from the Chinese leader, a line handwritten by Jack Ma himself in 2008. Hundreds of employees lined up to visit, take photos and share their feelings about the early days of the corporation, which is now worth more than 300 billion USD .

“Back then, everyone had to come early to get a seat. Coming back here, I feel like I’m reliving the start-up days,” said Luo, a member of the first team that developed the DingTalk platform.

Replica of the apartment where Jack Ma founded Alibaba. Photo: Wency Chen .

A young employee in Taobao’s algorithm team, who joined after graduating from graduate school, said she had to wait 30 minutes to get in to visit. “It’s like a fairy tale to go from a small room to this huge campus,” she said.

Chen, who works at Alibaba’s AI lab in Beijing, also took the opportunity to visit while on a business trip to Hangzhou. “I want to learn more about Mr. Ma’s entrepreneurial spirit. It will help me orient my future career,” he said.

Despite having relinquished all managerial positions, Jack Ma remains Alibaba's largest shareholder and is seen as its spiritual symbol. The group is currently run by Chairman Joe Tsai and CEO Eddie Wu Yongming - both co-founders and have been with Ma since the early days.

Internally, Alibaba is undergoing a clear strategic adjustment. In an internal memo dated May 10, CEO Wu said the company would “focus all its efforts on a few core strategic priorities,” with major initiatives being rolled out in an integrated, cross-departmental manner, rather than being fragmented as originally planned.

AliDay is an annual event celebrating Alibaba's founding anniversary. Photo: Wendy Chen.

This year's AliDay was not only held in Hangzhou, but also in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and some international branches. In addition to the excitement, many employees also expressed their expectations for a positive restart period for Alibaba after a period of stagnation.

Source: https://znews.vn/jack-ma-gay-chu-y-khi-tai-xuat-post1552439.html