Jack Ma
A former English teacher who built a digital marketplace that reshaped China's economy and connected its businesses to the world.
Born 1964 (age 62)·Chinese business magnate and investor·Birthday: September 10·Baby Boomers
Biography
Jack Ma's story is a foundational myth of the modern Chinese internet. Born in Hangzhou, he failed his university entrance exams twice and was rejected from dozens of jobs, including one at KFC, before finding work as an English teacher. A 1995 trip to the United States introduced him to the internet, and he returned to China with a wild idea. In 1999, he gathered 17 friends in his apartment and founded Alibaba, a platform to help small Chinese manufacturers reach global buyers. Defying early skeptics who doubted e-commerce in a cash-based society, Ma's relentless optimism and showmanship propelled Alibaba into a colossal ecosystem encompassing retail, payments, and cloud computing. He stepped down as executive chairman in 2019 to focus on philanthropy and education, leaving behind a company that fundamentally altered how China shops and does business.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Jack was born in 1964, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Jack Was Born
The biggest hits of 1964
#1 Movie
Mary Poppins
Best Picture
My Fair Lady
#1 TV Show
Bonanza
Jack's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1964Born
Civil Rights Act signed; Beatles arrive in America
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $13,450Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"I Want to Hold Your Hand" — The BeatlesBest Picture: My Fair Lady
1969Started school
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1977Became a teenager
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1980Could drive
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
1982Could vote
Michael Jackson releases Thriller
Gas: $1.22/galHome: $55,200Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Physical" — Olivia Newton-JohnBest Picture: Gandhi
1985Turned 21
Live Aid concerts raise money for Ethiopian famine
Gas: $1.12/galHome: $62,900Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Careless Whisper" — Wham!Best Picture: Out of Africa
1994Turned 30
Nelson Mandela elected president of South Africa
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $90,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"The Sign" — Ace of BaseBest Picture: Forrest Gump
2004Turned 40
Indian Ocean tsunami kills over 230,000
Gas: $1.88/galHome: $157,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Yeah!" — UsherBest Picture: Million Dollar Baby
2014Turned 50
Russia annexes Crimea; Ebola outbreak in West Africa
Gas: $3.37/galHome: $160,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Happy" — Pharrell WilliamsBest Picture: Birdman
2024Turned 60
AI reshapes industries; Paris Olympics
Gas: $3.31/galHome: $372,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Espresso" — Sabrina CarpenterBest Picture: Anora
2026Age 62 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Co-founded Alibaba Group in 1999, which grew to become one of the world's largest e-commerce and technology conglomerates.
- Launched Alipay, a digital payment platform that evolved into the financial technology giant Ant Group.
- Oversaw Alibaba's record-breaking $25 billion initial public offering on the New York Stock Exchange in 2014.
- Founded the Jack Ma Foundation, focusing on education, entrepreneurship, and environmental causes.
Did You Know?
He learned English as a teenager by giving free tours to foreign tourists at his hometown's main hotel.
His first internet venture, a website called 'China Pages,' was created in 1995.
He is a lifelong practitioner of Tai Chi and has incorporated its philosophies into his business management style.
“Today is hard, tomorrow will be worse, but the day after tomorrow will be sunshine.”
