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 visited Alibaba's Hangzhou headquarters in the evening, touring a replica of the small apartment where he founded the company 26 years ago. He then joined thousands of employees at a musical performance as part of AliDay, an annual event to honor the loved ones 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 pressures. Videos and photos of him walking around campus and visiting the startup apartment quickly spread on Weibo and became a trending topic.

The 100-square-meter apartment was once the workplace of the first 50 founding members. A wall there bears a famous quote from the Chinese leader, handwritten by Jack Ma himself in 2008. Hundreds of employees lined up to tour, take photos, and share their feelings about the early days of the corporation, which is now worth more than $300 billion .

“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 to develop the DingTalk platform.

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

A young employee of Taobao’s algorithms 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 stepping down from all management 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 of whom were co-founders and have been with Ma since the early days.

Internally, Alibaba is making a clear strategic adjustment. In an internal memo dated May 10, CEO Wu said the company would “focus on a few core strategic priorities,” with major initiatives being rolled out in an integrated, cross-functional 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 several international branches. In addition to the excitement, many employees also expressed their expectations for a positive restart for Alibaba after a period of stagnation.

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