4 Inspiring Lessons From The Legacy of Jack Ma
"The day after tomorrow will be sunshine"
There was a period when I was trying to start a side hustle, selling iPhone lightning cables, I encountered Alibaba for the first time. It was my entry point into the world of international wholesalers and global commerce.
Jack Ma (and 17 others) founded Alibaba in 1999 in Hangzhou - China. They started practically with nothing, but today, with a market cap of over $205 Billion and generated a total revenue of approximately $130 Billion at the end of 2024, Alibaba is one of the biggest e-commerce behemoths in the world.
As I watched a couple of his interviews from 10 years ago, I was fascinated by the story of his resilience, innovation, and forward and revolutionary thinking.
"Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get”
I believe that they can serve as invaluable lessons for everyone.
The Power of Resilience
Possibly the most fascinating lesson I can learn from his story is his resilience against rejections and setbacks.
He simply didn’t give up and carried on with his unwavering belief and vision which ultimately led him to his success.
Check out some examples of these rejections:
He failed key primary school tests twice and university entrance exams three times.
After graduating from university, he applied for 30 different jobs and was rejected by all of them.
24 people went for an interview for a job in KFC, and all of them were accepted - apart from him.
5 people went to look for a police job, and 4 accepted - apart from him.
He applied for a job as a server in a 4-star hotel in his city, his cousin got the job - he didn’t.
He tried to apply for Harvard 10 times - all rejected!
All these rejections could easily be the ‘death’ for many of us, but for Ma they were opportunities for growth and learning.
Ma drew his inspiration from the movie Forest Gump. He admired the character's determination, and ability to keep moving forward against all the odds. He even adopted Forrest Gump's famous quote, "Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get," as a personal mantra.
I can relate to these failures. I too failed my university entrance exam - 3 times. But I persevered and finally found another way to pursue my academic dream.
And I think this is the most important takeaway here: ‘Never give up!’ - Keep trying until you achieve your dream.
Embracing Global Mindset
Jack Ma is a strong believer in Globalization and its power to transform the world. He argued that despite facing criticism, globalisation remained and ever would be an unstoppable force that brings people together and promotes peace through trade.
In addition, the technology advancement would significantly impact our lives, making us more interconnected and efficient. It would simplify global trade to become more inclusive and accessible for everyone.
Remember that this interview was 10 years ago.
Today, we are living this vision.
If we look into his origin story, it is no surprise that he had this strong belief.
Even when he was a teenager he recognised the value of connecting with the wider world. He began learning English at a young age by offering free tours to tourists in Hangzhou.
In the year 1995, he had an opportunity to visit USA. While he was there, he was shown the Internet by his friend. He immediately tried to search for the word ‘beer’ (the first word that came to his mind), and he found results from many countries, but not China.
Then he searched for ‘China’ and found almost nothing! This made him realise the potential of the Internet to connect people globally. He then created what was probably the first Chinese online ‘Yellow Pages’.
These stories show the foundation upon which Ma would build the biggest e-commerce company in China.
Holistic Approach to Business
Jack Ma believed that business was not just about profit, it was also about trust, human connection and inclusivity.
He emphasized emotional intelligence (EQ) and what he termed 'Love Quotient' (LQ) as essential qualities for success as much as IQ.
Alibaba's culture reflected these values, with women holding key leadership roles, bringing empathy and customer focus to the forefront.
technology should "enable and empower people, make life better"
Ma believed that people are the most valuable asset, and so he prioritized the well-being and cultural values of his employees, encouraging open communication and a collaborative work style where everyone feels empowered to contribute their ideas.
Adapting to a Changing World
I love his view on this very much.
Jack Ma firmly acknowledged that we are living in a period of rapid transformation - yes we are living it right now. He saw the importance of adapting to this changing world. Here are how we can do this:
Embracing Technological Disruption
Ma saw AI, Robotics, and data technology as power that would reshape the global landscape.
While he acknowledged concerns about job displacement and social disruption, he knew that resisting these technologies was futile.
Instead, he wanted us to focus on how to leverage these tools to solve problems like disease, poverty, and environmental degradation.
He believed that technology should "enable and empower people, make life better" and that businesses had a responsibility to invest in technologies that serve a greater good.
Shifting Focus from Knowledge to Wisdom
Ma believes that traditional education systems, which primarily focus on knowledge acquisition (memorising facts and figures), were not suitable to prepare individuals for the future.
He predicted that machines would surpass humans in knowledge-based tasks, rendering memorisation and rote learning less valuable. (You don’t say!)
He firmly suggested to cultivate qualities that machines cannot replicate, such as:
Critical and Independent Thinking, Teamwork, Creativity and Adaptability, Emotional Intelligence, and Care for Others (Empathy).
Lifelong learning
Ma stressed that continuous learning and adaptability were essential for surviving the evolving world.
He encouraged everyone to remain curious, embrace new experiences, and constantly seek to expand their knowledge and skills.
Last but not least, to persevere, be resilient and learn from mistakes.
Resilient Visionary
What struck me, listening to all his interviews, was how visionary he was!
He seemed to have this 6th sense that things were going to go how he predicted.
(Maybe in today’s trend, it would be called ‘manifesting’ 🙂)
Jack Ma’s journey teaches us that excellence comes from character, resilience and perseverance.
Character comes from the capacity to embrace rejection and failures, and overcoming suffering.
Finally, let me leave you with one of the best quotes from Jack Ma:
'Do not give up!
Today is hard,
tomorrow will be worse,
but the day after tomorrow will be beautiful.'
Hi there!
If you are new, it’s good to see you and thanks for reading so far.
My name is Chris Prakoso, I came originally from Indonesia but am now settling down in Slovakia with my family. I used to write a blog professionally but I stopped.
That is until I decided to write again and joined Substack.
In the past, I mainly wrote about technology, but here with Life Apprentice I am trying to share some of my life-learned lessons from the past, or today, or something I feel is important for the future.
You can find topics ranging from geeky stuff to parenting, from living a healthy life to travelling, and from personal development to entrepreneurship.
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