Free Republic
Browse · Search
Bloggers & Personal
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Alibaba founder Ma was rejected from 30 jobs, including KFC, before becoming richest man in China
Business Insider ^ | February 17, 2015 | Ashley Lutz

Posted on 02/23/2015 2:27:00 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet

Jack Ma is one of the most successful entrepreneurs in the world.

His e-commerce company, Alibaba, attracts 100 million shoppers a day. Ma is worth an estimate $20.4 billion.

But before he was the richest person in China, Ma went through a lot of rejection.

In a recent interview with Charlie Rose, the businessman reveals that he failed a college entrance exam three times.

Once he ruled out college, Ma applied for 30 different jobs and got rejected.

"I went for a job with the police; they said, 'you're no good,'" Ma tells Rose. "I even went to KFC when it came to my city. Twenty-four people went for the job. Twenty-three were accepted. I was the only guy..."

When Ma founded Alibaba in 1998, he was met with more obstacles.

The brand didn't turn a profit for the first three years, and Ma had to get creative. One of the company's main challenges was that it had no way to do payments and no banks would work with him.

Ma decided to start his own payment program called Alipay. The program transfers payments of different currencies between international buyers and sellers.

"So many people I talked to at that time about Alipay, they said, 'this is the stupidest idea you've ever had,'" he said. "I didn't care if it was stupid as long as people could use it."

Today, 800 million people use Alipay.


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Computers/Internet
KEYWORDS: alibaba; china; internet; jobs

1 posted on 02/23/2015 2:27:00 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: 2ndDivisionVet

Once you get hooked up to the Politburo, you got it made as an oligarch


2 posted on 02/23/2015 2:28:15 PM PST by GeronL
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: GeronL

Maybe zuckerdouche could tell us about hooking up with the NSA to become a wunderkind billionaire.
More like zuckerfraud.


3 posted on 02/23/2015 2:34:46 PM PST by free from tyranny
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: GeronL
Once you get hooked up to the Politburo, you got it made as an oligarch

I believe he's an up-from-nothing nobody who hooked up with Yahoo's $1b investment and took it from there. That's why the Chinese government is leaning on him - party bigwigs are shaking him down.

4 posted on 02/23/2015 2:35:32 PM PST by Zhang Fei (Let us pray that peace be now restored to the world and that God will preserve it always.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: GeronL

Crony socialism pays. If you have the government blocking for you, you keep scoring touchdowns all day long. But when trying to explain the reason for their success, it defies logic. “Failing up” explains a lot, including our current pResident’s “success.”


5 posted on 02/23/2015 2:40:39 PM PST by anymouse (God didn't write this sitcom we call life, he's just the critic.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: anymouse

I’ve seen interviews with him on biz shows, etc.

What is his connection to the ChiCom major domos?


6 posted on 02/23/2015 2:43:39 PM PST by nascarnation (Impeach, convict, deport)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: GeronL
Jakc bigee business even in oudooh sidewok mahket prace....


7 posted on 02/23/2015 2:46:34 PM PST by MeshugeMikey ("Never, Never, Never, Give Up," Winston Churchill ><>)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: MeshugeMikey

Now he is a new Elvis!


8 posted on 02/23/2015 3:22:58 PM PST by GeronL
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: GeronL

Kim Jung Ervis Un ...Vely UNHAPPY bout the deveropment!!


9 posted on 02/23/2015 3:24:10 PM PST by MeshugeMikey ("Never, Never, Never, Give Up," Winston Churchill ><>)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: 2ndDivisionVet

There `s a lot more than 40 thieves on alibaba


10 posted on 02/23/2015 3:26:55 PM PST by bunkerhill7 ("The Second Amendment has no limits on firepower"-NY State Senator Kathleen A. Marchione."))))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: bunkerhill7

There’s a lot more than 40 thieves on e-Bay, Amazon, Etsy and Craigslist, too.


11 posted on 02/23/2015 3:31:20 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet (The question isn't who is going to let me; it's who is going to stop me.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

To: 2ndDivisionVet

I wonder how much he’s donated to the Clintons?


12 posted on 02/23/2015 4:37:43 PM PST by TurboZamboni (Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable.-JFK)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: 2ndDivisionVet

That’s Kentucky Flied Chicken.


13 posted on 02/23/2015 4:40:56 PM PST by 867V309 (Boehner is the new Pelosi)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
Bloggers & Personal
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson