Chapter 29 Role model Jack Ma

It was in 1999 that I met Jack Ma. Those years were the years when the Internet was hot. Almost all the people participated in the great event that the Internet changed the world. They are all "turtles", with the exception of Jack Ma.It is strange and unusual for a "turtle" to appear suddenly among a group of "sea turtles".I remember that at several meetings, the business models of Jack Ma's Alibaba and Taobao were questioned by many people.I knew only a little about dozens or hundreds of B2B and B2C business models that were popular at that time. I only knew that these dozens of models seemed to be summed up in books. Could they work in the market?What is the reason for the survival of these business models without being tested by the market?I don't know, and I've always been skeptical.

But I understand Jack Ma's Alibaba model, and it fits in with the background of the future Chinese corporate form I imagined.What are the characteristics of Chinese enterprises in the future?I think the most important thing is "small", beautiful "small".From today’s perspective, the world’s largest company is PetroChina, and the world’s largest bank is the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China. It seems that China’s large companies have a bright future, but I insist that the future is still the era of small companies, and small companies have more vitality. It is more flexible and more in line with the principle of division of labor advocated by Adam Smith in "The Wealth of Nations".Today, these large companies are highly monopolized products, and their efficiency and services are far inferior to those of small companies.But if there are only scattered small businesses, and there is no platform like Alibaba to organically link them, these small businesses will operate independently, just like a plate of loose sand, which is also inefficient.But with Alibaba, where hundreds of thousands of businesses are integrated into one online platform, everything changes.

In small businesses, the economic sage Adam Smith's principle of division of labor has been fully realized.But in the new space of the Internet, when people are no longer face to face, the need for honesty is even greater.In the invisible network, can people be honest with each other?If it can be done, the future Internet world will have development prospects, an immeasurable prospect.If not, no matter how advanced the technology and business model of this network, this new space is hopeless - who will be with the scammers?What value can a world of deceiving each other create?In this regard, I talked with Ma Yun many times. He agreed with me and introduced to me how everyone values ​​their reputation and honesty on Alibaba and Taobao.In order to prove Ma Yun's point of view, if some friends go to Alibaba and Taobao to do business, I will definitely ask them whether these online members are honest?Is there deceptive behavior?How to maintain integrity?How to prevent deception from happening?The answers we get are the same: on Alibaba.com, everyone loves their reputation like a bird loves its feathers.

How much space Jack Ma's networks will have in the future depends on whether he is rooted in the Chinese economy and truly serves thousands of small and medium-sized enterprises, rather than creating a concept that cannot be realized.How many "digital heroes" floating in the air have become a thing of the past, but Jack Ma's Alibaba has stayed.I believe that if Alibaba firmly grasps the pulse of the Chinese economy and serves Chinese enterprises, it will surely gain a broad living space. In this regard, SOHO China is the same as Ma Yun’s Alibaba. It is also aimed at thousands of small and medium-sized enterprises in China, and also provides services for these small and medium-sized enterprises. The difference is that SOHO China provides tangible space for these small and medium-sized enterprises. --houses, and Alibaba provides a virtual space -- the Internet -- for China's fast-growing small and medium-sized enterprises.In the future, the basis for the development of Alibaba and Jack Ma is the same as that of our SOHO China and all other enterprises, which is to establish integrity and increase integrity, so that while the material wealth of the society grows, the spiritual wealth will also develop simultaneously.These two kinds of wealth must complement each other and promote each other. Without spiritual wealth such as integrity, the creation of material basic wealth can only be water without a source, and it cannot flow forever.