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Jack Ma's resignation Tuesday as chief
executive of Alibaba isn't exactly a surprise ─ last year, Mr. Ma began
laying the groundwork for his departure as chief, giving his nine
presidents more responsibility to make their own decisions.
But the eccentric entrepreneur, who will remain chairman of the
e-commerce giant he founded in 1999, is certainly making a colorful exit
as chief. In an email to staff announcing his resignation this coming
May, Mr. Ma had some interesting things to say:
'At 48, I am no longer 'young' for the Internet business.' Try telling
that to Jeff Bezos the CEO and founder of Alibaba's larger U.S.
competitor Amazon.com ─ he's 49 years old. Mr. Ma is also not much older
than two other major Chinese Internet pioneers: Baidu's Robin Li is 44,
and Tencent's Pony Ma is 41. Other comparisons: Zynga founder and CEO
Mark Pincus is 46 Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin are both 39
Yahoo's Marissa Mayer is 37 Groupon's Andrew Mason is 32 and Facebook's
Mark Zuckerberg is 28.
'The Internet belongs to young people. This year, most of the Alibaba
leaders who were born in the 1960s will retreat from management and
execution roles as we hand over leadership responsibility to colleagues
from the 70s and 80s generations. Because, we believe that they
understand the future better than us, and they have a better chance at
seizing the future.'
He likened himself to ET, the cinematic extraterrestrial: 'Succeeding a
founder CEO is a difficult job, especially taking over from a CEO with
such a distinct personality who is very 'ET'-like; this requires great
courage and the willingness to make sacrifices,' he wrote.
Check out the full letter from Mr. Ma to his staff below.
***************
January 15, 2013
Fellow Aliren,
I've looked forward to writing this letter for a long time, and this moment has finally arrived…
On May 10th 2013, I will no longer assume the role of Alibaba Group CEO.
I will fully dedicate myself to the role of executive chairman of
Alibaba Group.
At this moment, I just want to say this to all my colleagues, friends
and partners: thank you. Thank you for supporting me for 14 years. I
know that I have my own personality and ways of doing things, so it is
your tolerance and trust, especially what you've built with your full
dedication, that have given me the most precious and unforgettable 14
years of my life.
9 years ago when we first started Taobao, an investor friend had a talk
with me: he hoped that one day I would step down as CEO. He didn't
believe that I would be a qualified CEO. I agreed with him? However, I
knew back then that neither I nor the company was ready. From that
moment on, my team and I have been working hard towards this day. We may
not become the most successful company, but we hope to be the most
long-lasting and dynamic company.
Over the past 14 years, Alibaba's business results have made me proud,
but the pleasant surprise was the growth of the people at Alibaba. Our
unique culture has bred a group of Alibaba people with unique charm. As a
founder CEO, stepping down as CEO is a difficult decision, for this
could be confounding especially for someone of my age who should be at
the height of his career. It's not because I wanted to take things easy
(though the job of Alibaba CEO is no easy task), it's because I see that
Alibaba's young people have better, more brilliant, dreams than mine,
and they are more capable of building a future that belongs to them.
I am fortunate to have been through 14 years of entrepreneurial
experience, which allows me to clearly understand what I want, what I am
capable of, and what I must let go of…. From the bottom of my heart, I
admire the young people of today. At 48, I am no longer 'young' for the
Internet business. The next generation of Alibaba people are better
equipped to manage an Internet ecosystem like ours. I believe they
understand the future better than I do so they are more adept at
creating a better tomorrow.
The Internet belongs to young people. This year, most of the Alibaba
leaders who were born in the 1960s will retreat from management and
execution roles as we hand over leadership responsibility to colleagues
from the 70s and 80s generations. Because, we believe that they
understand the future better than us, and they have a better chance at
seizing the future.
Everybody must be concerned about who the future CEO will be. Succeeding
a founder CEO is a difficult job, especially taking over from a CEO
with such a distinct personality who is very 'ET'-like; this requires
great courage and the willingness to make sacrifices. Alibaba is
fortunate to have many of such talents and each one of them has the rare
qualities of charisma and style that you see in leaders. They will
bring different elements and qualities to a future Alibaba. However,
convincing them to make such a huge sacrifice and commitment is no easy
feat; this is something I've considered for more than a year. That's why
I am announcing my stepping back as CEO a few months in advance I want
to encourage our young leaders to step forward to ensure a smooth
transition. Don't worry, we are confident that we will be able to
announce a new CEO on May 10th.
Fellow Aliren, at our founding Alibaba aspired to 102 years of sustained
development, and now we still have 88 years ahead of us. Without a
healthy and sound succession system for young people, it is difficult to
imagine that we will make it to that day. Today is just the first of
countless leadership rotations and changes that will take place in the
future. Today, Alibaba already has the capability, strength and
responsibility to implement a good succession system.
Thank you once again for all the trust you have placed in me. Even if
it's not May 10, 2013, one day I will have to leave my role as CEO. In
the future, my responsibilities as chairman will focus on strategic
issues under the guidance of our board of directors, and I will assist
the CEO in the development of our culture and talent, as well as helping
our team to strengthen our social responsibility efforts.
I believe that doing what makes oneself happy, staying within one's own
limits and being a good partner to one's more capable colleagues, is the
right thing for me to do.
If not now, when? If not me, who?
Aliren, GO!
Jack Ma
CEO, Alibaba Group
Chairman, Alibaba Group
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Post By：2013/1/16 15:02:27
