Jack Ma replies to Alibaba employee’s letter lamenting ‘big company disease’
Jack Ma, founder of Alibaba Group Holding, responded to the resignation letter of a long-term employee on Tuesday, a rare move for the tech veteran who stepped back from all corporate roles in 2019.
In a response published on Alibaba's internal website, Ma addressed the concerns raised by a 15-year employee, who criticised the "big company disease" afflicting the Chinese e-commerce giant in an extensive internal letter.
The employee, a product development leader on the team responsible for enterprise collaboration tool DingTalk, reflected fondly on his early years at Alibaba and praised the company's core values, but sharply critiqued what he saw as various internal issues. They included unsuccessful acquisitions, unclear strategies, undesirable hiring practices, as well as unfair performance assessments and promotion mechanisms.
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Still, the letter, posted on Monday, concluded on an optimistic note: "Artificial intelligence is coming, embrace this era ... After spending 15 years with you, I hope you thrive for centuries. Alibaba, stay strong!"
Expressing gratitude for the employee's feedback, Ma wrote on Tuesday: "Just as a person grows, Alibaba's development inevitably involves many paths and processes. The company is undergoing changes, and I wish you the best. I hope you visit us often."
The original letter and Ma's response have sparked widespread discussion in China's tech circles. Alibaba, owner of the South China Morning Post, did not respond to a request for comment on Wednesday.
Ma, 60, has largely withdrawn from public view since 2020, but remains Alibaba's largest shareholder and spiritual leader. He recently re-emerged into the public eye, attending President Xi Jinping's business symposium in February and making multiple visits to Alibaba's campus.
During Alibaba's annual open day for friends and family in May, Ma received a rock-star welcome as he toured a newly unveiled replica of the flat where he founded the company 26 years ago, designed to highlight Alibaba's humble beginnings and innovative spirit.
Alibaba has set out an ambitious artificial intelligence (AI) strategy, allocating US$52 billion for capital spending over three years to enhance computing resources and AI infrastructure. The company's open-source large language model series, Qwen, has received increasing global recognition, while its consumer-facing AI application Quark is gaining traction among domestic users.
For the quarter ending March 31, Alibaba reported revenue growth of 7 per cent to 236.5 billion yuan (US$32.9 billion). Net income surged 279 per cent to 12.4 billion yuan, while revenue from the Cloud Intelligence Group, a key growth driver, rose 18 per cent to 30.1 billion yuan.
Alibaba's Hong Kong-listed shares have climbed about 45 per cent this year.
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This article originally appeared on the South China Morning Post (www.scmp.com), the leading news media reporting on China and Asia.
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