Business Videos

Joe Tsai, Co-Founder and Chairman, Alibaba: Find Your People

In this interview, Alibaba co‑founder and chairman Joe Tsai reflects on his trans‑Pacific upbringing, from a Taiwanese childhood to an American boarding school, and how those early cultural shocks shaped his leadership style. He recounts the pivotal moment he met Jack Ma, a charismatic teacher‑turned‑entrepreneur, and why the lack of a formal business plan never deterred him from backing a vision to simplify global trade. Tsai emphasizes three practical lessons: the power of humility when entering unfamiliar markets, the necessity of complementary co‑founders—Alibaba began with 18 diverse founders to preserve culture as it scaled—and the value of persisting after a series of investor rejections, ultimately securing backing from Goldman Sachs and SoftBank. He also highlights the strategic decision to launch Taobao against eBay’s dominance, leveraging mission‑driven focus rather than short‑term metrics. Memorable quotes pepper the conversation: “Find the people you want to partner with, the mentors you want to learn from,” and “Jack didn’t have a business plan; he had a mission to make it easy to do business anywhere.” Tsai’s anecdote about the bathroom with ten toothbrushes illustrates the gritty startup reality that forged Alibaba’s resilience. For entrepreneurs and investors, Tsai’s story underscores that cross‑cultural empathy, complementary talent, and unwavering commitment to a clear mission can turn a modest online marketplace into a global super‑app ecosystem, reshaping e‑commerce, payments, cloud services, and beyond.