The House That Jack Built

How Alibaba’s Jack Ma started with nothing and built a global internet empire

- By Keith Gordon

Americans are well-versed in the “rags to riches” archetype, starting with the works of Horatio Alger, ingrained in historical narratives and continuing to today’s ideal of achieving the American dream. But perhaps no one better exemplifies the journey from extreme poverty to extreme wealth better than Jack Ma, multibillionaire co founder of Alibaba Group, one of the richest and most impactful entrepreneur-philanthropists in China and the world.

Born Ma Yun on September 10th, 1964 in Hangzhou, China, Ma’s parents were reportedly folk musicians and storytellers. Although Ma and his family were impoverished, the boy’s work ethic and love of learning would eventually provide a financial escape for both him and those around him. He began by teaching himself English, for yeas riding his bicycle 17 miles to the international Hangzhou Hotel to barter his services as a tour guide to foreign visitors he met in exchange for English lessons. He soon adopted the name Jack, which was given to him by a Western tourist. As Ma told Inc., “Those years deeply changed me. I started to become more globalized than most Chinese. What I learned from my teachers and books was different from what the foreign visitors told us.”