评论
打印
I spoke with Alibaba’s founder, Jack Ma, at a private luncheon on Friday, just an hour after his company had gone public. Mr. Ma is unlike any Chinese leader I have ever met. He is emerging as the face of the new China: a free enterprise entrepreneur working within the confines of a rigid government.
上周五，在私人午宴上，我与阿里巴巴的创始人马云(Jack Ma)进行了交谈。就在一个小时前，他的公司刚刚上市。马云不同于我见过的任何一位中国领导者。他正在成为代表“全新中国”的一张面孔：一名自由的企业家，在僵化政府的限制下开展活动。
Alibaba’s stock had just started trading on Friday, and it immediately jumped in value. It ended the day up 38 percent, at $93.89, giving the company a market value of $231 billion. The company set the record for the largest initial public offering in history. Yet Mr. Ma was humble, preferring to talk about building a great company that helps its customers, creates jobs and serves society. “They call me ‘Crazy Jack,’” he said. “I hope to stay crazy for the next 30 years.”
上周五，阿里巴巴的股票一经交易，就大幅跳涨。当天上涨38%，报收93.89美元（约合576元人民币），令公司市值达到2310亿美元。阿里巴巴刷新了史上规模最大的首次公开募股的纪录。然而马云本人很谦虚，他更愿意谈的事情是建立卓越的公司，从而为客户提供帮助、创造就业机会，并且服务于社会。“他们把我称作‘疯狂的杰克’，”他说。“我希望在未来30年中一直这么疯狂。”
China’s large and growing economy has made it an increasing economic force over the last two decades, but it had not produced global companies. Chinese businesses focused domestically and mass-produced products for international companies. Mr. Ma is taking a different approach. Alibaba has initially concentrated on China’s enormous markets, but he understands the Internet is a worldwide phenomenon that knows no borders. He believes that Alibaba can compete internationally and across sectors, and intends to serve the American, European and emerging markets. But he said he won’t stop there. He has plans to disrupt China’s commercial banking and insurance sectors as well.
由于中国经济体量十分庞大，而且还在不断增长，在过去二十年中，它已经成为了一支越来越强大的经济势力，但这里并没有孕育出全球性的公司。中国企业的侧重点，主要放在国内市场，再就是为跨国公司提供大规模生产的产品。马云则另辟蹊径。阿里巴巴最初的着眼点是中国巨大的市场，但马云明白，互联网是无国界的、全球性的。他坚信阿里巴巴可以在国际上进行跨部门竞争，而且他也有意为美国、欧洲和新兴市场提供服务。不过马云表示，他不会止步于此。他还打算颠覆中国的商业银行和保险业。
Asked about his success, Mr. Ma shares his life story. He was raised in humble origins in Hangzhou in the 1980s, just as China was opening up to the West. Growing up, he overcame one obstacle after another. He was rejected at virtually every school he applied to, even grade schools, because he didn’t test well in math.
当被问及他的成功时，马云分享了自己的人生经历。20世纪80年代，他在杭州的草根家庭长大，当时中国刚刚向西方打开国门。在成长的过程中，马云克服了一道道难关。他想去的几乎每一所学校都拒绝了他，就连小学也是如此，因为他的数学考分不高。
He persevered. From age 12 to 20, he rode his bicycle for 40 minutes to a hotel where he could practice his English. “China was opening up, and a lot of foreign tourists went there,” he said. “I showed them around as a free guide. Those eight years deeply changed me. I became more globalized than most Chinese. What foreign visitors told us was different from what I learned from my teachers and books.” As a young man, he applied for jobs at 30 companies and was rejected every time. At Kentucky Fried Chicken, 24 people applied, 23 got jobs; only Mr. Ma was rejected. So he became an English teacher at Hangzhou Electronics Technology College. In 1999, he visited America. “I got my dream from America,” he said. “When I visited Silicon Valley, I saw in the evening the road was full of cars, all the buildings with lights. That’s the passion. My role model is Forrest Gump.”
他坚持了下来。从12岁到20岁，他经常骑40分钟的自行车前往一家酒店，到那里练习英语。“中国开放后，吸引了很多外国游客，”他说。“我充当免费导游，带他们四处观光。这八年的经历深深改变了我。我变得比大多数中国人都更加全球化。外国游客告诉我的事情，跟我从老师和书本上学到的东西不一样。”年纪轻轻的他申请了30家公司的工作，但每次都遭到拒绝。有一次，他和另外23人同时申请肯德基(Kentucky Fried Chicken)的岗位，那23人都被录用；只有他被刷了下来。于是他成为了一名英语教师，在杭州电子工学院教书。1999年，他前往美国。“我的梦想受到了美国的启发，”他说。“我参观硅谷的时候，看到傍晚路上满是车，所有建筑物内都有灯光。这就是激情。我把阿甘(Forrest Gump)当作榜样。”
Returning to Hangzhou, he and Joe Tsai, now Alibaba’s executive vice chairman, founded the company in Mr. Ma’s modest apartment. They called the company Alibaba because it is “easy to spell, and people everywhere associate that with ‘Open, Sesame,’ the command Ali Baba used to open doors to hidden treasures in ‘One Thousand and One Nights.’”
回到杭州，马云和蔡崇信(Joe Tsai)，即阿里巴巴现在的董事局执行副主席，在他不起眼的公寓里创办了阿里巴巴。他们之所以用这个名字，因为它“容易拼写，而且世界各地的人们都会联想到‘芝麻开门’，也就是《一千零一夜》(One Thousand and One Nights)中阿里巴巴用来打开宝藏大门的咒语”。
Mr. Ma focused on applying his team’s ideas to help businesses and consumers find hidden treasures of their own. Yet he was unable to raise even $2 million from venture capitalists in America. Once again, Mr. Ma persevered. Eventually he raised $5 million through Goldman Sachs. Later, Masayoshi Son of Japan’s SoftBank invested $20 million, making it Alibaba’s largest shareholder. That stake is now worth about $75 billion. Today, the Alibaba companies serve 600 million customers in 240 countries.
马云工作的重心是，运用阿里巴巴团队的想法，帮助企业和消费者找到他们自己的宝藏。然而，就连200万美元的资金，他也无法从美国的风险投资人那里拉到。马云再一次坚持了下来。最后，他通过高盛(Goldman Sachs) 筹集到500万美元。后来，日本软银(SoftBank)的孙正义(Masayoshi Son)投资了2000万美元，成为了公司的最大股东。这部分股份的价值目前已升至约750亿美元。如今，阿里巴巴集团为240个国家和地区的6亿客户提供服务。
With Friday’s I.P.O., Mr. Ma became China’s wealthiest citizen, worth more than $18 billion. Yet when he asked his wife several years ago whether it was more important to be wealthy or to have respect from business people, he said they agreed on respect. Mr. Ma talks about building the Alibaba ecosystem to help people, a philosophy that is baked into the DNA of the company. At the founding of the company, Mr. Ma issued generous stock option packages to early employees because he wanted to enrich the lives of all involved in his venture. He insisted that Alibaba’s six values — customer first, teamwork, embrace change, integrity, passion and commitment — be placed on the pillars of the New York Stock Exchange the day of the I.P.O.
随着阿里巴巴于周五上市，马云成为了中国首富，身价超过180亿美元。然而，他几年前问过妻子，成为富豪和获得商届同仁的尊重，哪个更重要？他表示两人一致认为是后者。马云谈到了打造阿里巴巴生态系统以帮助众人的计划，而这种理念已经融入公司DNA中。创建公司时，他给予早期员工大量股票期权，因为他希望使所有参与者的生活都变得富裕起来。马云坚持要求纽约证券交易所(New York Stock Exchange)于上市当天在其立柱上展示阿里巴巴的六大价值观——客户第一、团队合作、拥抱变化、诚信、激情、敬业。
For all his success, Mr. Ma has retained his authenticity. He recognizes that leadership is character, and he is focused on building his team. His role model is a well-oiled soccer team where 11 players work together for the success of the team. He would rather hire entrepreneurs than seasoned business executives, who are always looking over their shoulders, trying to please their bosses rather than their customers.
尽管取得了巨大成功，马云仍旧保持了本真。马云承认性格决定领导力，而他注重的是建设自己的团队。他将齐心协力的足球队当做榜样，希望做到11名队员为了团队的胜利共同努力。他宁愿聘用创业者，而不是经验丰富的高管，因为后者总是关心自己的安危，设法取悦老板，而不是客户。
His own commitment to a cause larger than himself has propelled him onward. “My vision is to build an e-commerce ecosystem that allows consumers and businesses to do all aspects of business online. I want to create one million jobs, change China’s social and economic environment and make it the largest Internet market in the world.”
马云不局限于自身，致力于追求更宏大的使命。这促使他不断前进。“我的设想是建立一个电子商务生态系统，使得客户和企业能够在网上做各种生意。我希望创造100万个就业岗位，改变中国的社会及经济环境，使中国成为世界上最大的网络市场。”
American tech leaders like Steven P. Jobs, Larry Page, and Mark Zuckerberg have emphasized technology and product above everything. Not Mr. Ma. “I’m not a tech guy,” he said. “I’m looking at technology with the eyes of my customers, normal people’s eyes.”
史蒂芬·P·乔布斯(Steven P. Jobs)、拉里·佩奇(Larry Page)和马克·扎克伯格(Mark Zuckerberg)等美国科技行业的翘楚强调技术与产品高过一切。马云并非如此。“我不懂技术，”他说。“我以客户和普通人的视角看待科技发展。”
Mr. Ma said this Was not just about making money. “I’m just a purist. I don’t spend 15 minutes thinking about making money,” he said. “What is important in my life is influencing many people as well as China’s development. When I am myself, I am relaxed and happy and have a good result.”
马云表示，他不仅仅为了赚钱。“我很纯粹，从来没花过15分钟来考虑怎么赚钱，”他说。“我生命中重要的事情是影响其他人，推动中国的发展。当我保持自我的时候，我会很放松，很开心，就会有一个好的结果。”
His lighthearted nature has helped create a unique culture and fun atmosphere at Alibaba where employees are given cans of Silly String, encouraged to do handstands to bolster their energy during breaks, and participate in an annual talent show where Mr. Ma sings pop songs. He practices tai chi and uses the nickname “Feng Qingyang,” a reference to a Chinese kung fu guru who trained an apprentice into a hero. Mr. Ma called martial arts “the most down-to-earth way of explaining Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism,” adding, “They cherish brotherhood, morality, courage, emotion and conscience.”
马云这种无忧无虑的天性帮助创造了阿里巴巴独特的文化和欢乐的气氛。公司给员工们发放彩条喷罐、鼓励他们在休息期间做倒立来增加活力，还有参与一年一度的才艺展示。马云会在演出中唱流行歌曲。马云打太极拳，自称“风清扬”——中国的武侠高手，训练出了一名武功盖世的徒弟。马云称武侠是“解读儒家、佛教及道教思想最实在的途径”，他还表示，“武侠讲究义气、道德、勇气、感情和良心。”
He said he worried that China lost an entire generation when Mao Zedong phased out Confucianism and other forms of spirituality. But he said he hoped to restore that sense of values and purpose to the next generation. “It’s not policies that we need, but genuine people,” he said. Asked about corruption in China, he said, “I would rather shut down my company than pay a bribe.”
马云说，他担心毛泽东逐步扫除儒家思想等精神信仰的举措让整整一代人陷入迷茫。但他表示，他希望下一代人能够重拾价值观和决心。他说，“我们需要的不是政策，而是真实的人。”当被问及中国的腐败问题时，他说，“我宁愿让公司关门，也不会行贿。”
He listed three worries: continuing to create genuine value for his customers, working cooperatively with the government and building his team of global leaders. What will he do with his fortune? His big dream is to found a university for entrepreneurs that can create the new generation of Chinese entrepreneurs.
他列出了三个难题：继续为客户创造真正的价值、与政府开展合作，以及建立自己的全球性领袖团队。他将如何利用自己的财富呢？他有一个远大的梦想，那就是创建一所创业者大学，培养新一代的中国创业人才。
Jack Ma is a force of nature. He may become the role model for the new generation of global leaders, not only in China, but also throughout the world. “Our challenge,” he said, “is to help more people to make sustainable money that is not only good for themselves but also good for society. That’s the transformation we are aiming to make.”
马云就像是一股来自大自然的力量。他或许会成为新一代全球性领袖的榜样，不仅仅在中国，而是在全世界范围内。“我们的挑战，”他说，“是帮助更多人持续盈利，而且这种盈利不仅有利于他们本身，也有利于社会发展。这就是我们打算实现的转变。”
