I just want to show Hong Kong to the world as a contribution to Hong Kong

Lead: Alibaba Group executive vice president Tsai last week in an interview with Forbes magazine, he reviewed the 15 years of joining Alibaba's journey, and frankly, Jack Ma in the company management has made great progress.

1999, Cai Shun to Hangzhou to visit Jack Ma, when Alibaba was a little-known start-up company, its founder Ma Yun is not too famous. In the four years before the visit, Tsai has been working in Hong Kong and is an executive at investor AB, a Swedish investment company. After this visit, Tsai offered to join Alibaba, Ma Yun readily accepted his request.

15 years later, the statistics show that China has overtaken the United States as the world's largest electricity market, Alibaba has far ahead of rivals, MA and Tsai has become the company's two assets to reach or more than 1 billion dollars of rich. Many analysts say Alibaba is now worth more than $120 billion trillion.

Tsai, 49, received an interview with Forbes about his impressions of Mr Ma as a business leader. Since May 2013, Tsai and LU respectively have been appointed as executive Vice-chairmen and chief executives of the board of Directors. Tsai said: "I think, and Alibaba earlier than Ma Yun, his personality has not changed." However, Ma Yun's understanding of staff management and business management has greatly improved, reaching a more mature level.

Tsai, a permanent resident of Hong Kong and the richest Internet entrepreneur in Hong Kong, is likely to become a finalist for Forbes ' Forbes Hong Kong Rich list. In the interview, he also described to reporters the passion of his life another hobby: lacrosse.

Excerpts from the conversation are as follows:

Q: How do you know Ma Yun?

A: May 1999, Ma Yun and I met for the first time. A Taiwanese friend of mine said, "You have to go to Hangzhou to see Jack Ma." He's a little crazy, but ... "my friend was trying to sell his company to Ma Yun, and I was working at a Swedish investment company, ――investor AB."

So, I came to the "Paradise on earth" Hangzhou, the result I found that Ma Yun has not even set up his own company. No company entity exists, only a website that has been online for just a few months. That website is Alibaba's first website, is an English website. This is also the first Internet English site launched in China, and we have been using this domain name Alibaba.com website, it is still the world's largest business-to-business trading platform.

When I met Ma Yun, I was fascinated by his personality charm. He's very approachable and charming, and he's been talking about a great vision. We don't talk about business models, profits or other business things. "We have these millions of factory resources," he said. How can I help the mainland factories to reach the Western world? They can't see the light of day now. "The internet is a equalizer that allows the business world to balance."

Before China's accession to the WTO, products exported from China to overseas, must pass the state-owned trading company, only the state-owned trading companies have the relevant license. Small-scale private enterprises must via state-owned enterprises to export products. There is no other way for these small companies to sell themselves to the world. They do not have the basic skills to export business.

At the time I thought Ma's idea--pushing these companies online--was great, but it wasn't a big idea. But I appreciate the personality of Ma Yun. Really impress me, not only Ma Yun himself, not himself and one or two followers, but Ma Yun and a group of followers of the fact of weal and woe. Basically, these followers are his students.

Jack Ma has been an English teacher. These college students who study English with Jack Ma are either engineers or import and export talents. I see this extraordinary energy. They work very hard. They are very happy. I saw the light in their eyes. I think, "This guy has the ability to bring together a group of people, an influential leader." Ma Yun really has the ability to make a career. "That's why I was finally persuaded.

I thought, "Should I join this adventurous team?" ”。 I want to work with people who have the ability to lead and bring all kinds of talents to their side.

I work well with Ma Yun, Ma Yun has no sense of appropriation of anything. He is also willing to admit his weaknesses, he said: "I am not good at this." "I'm good at everything," says a lot of strong entrepreneurs. I am good at marketing ”

In Ma Yun's view, my career is a novelty, because I know the financial, also as a lawyer, can help set up the company and raise money. From day one, we've been together.

Q: How big is his business when you join?

A: Our revenue is zero, but we have about 28,000 registered users. At that time, the total number of Internet users in China was about 10 million. Today, we have 600 million users.

Q: Are you outside the circle for other mainland Chinese who join Ali?

A: I am the first person outside their circle and the first person on the team from outside the mainland.

Q: There must have been some subtlety.

A: I know I'm still studying, and I don't want to get out of place. I know I have knowledge that no one else has, and people should trust and respect me. So, I am very confident and feel very comfortable. I won't pretend to do anything. I know what role I should play.

One of the most admirable thing about Ma is that he is a tolerant person. Alibaba has 18 founders, have you ever thought about it? If only he were the founder.

June 1999, that is, after my meeting with Ma Yun next month, Ma said to me, "the Thrall, please help me form the company." "I promise." I studied the prospectus of three internet companies (Sina, Sohu and NetEase) that were listed in the year, and found that they all set up holding companies in Caimas, Is. and set up branch offices in China.

I am in Hong Kong, ready to set up a Caimas, Is. company, but before doing so, we need to know who will become shareholders. I made a phone call to Ma Yun, "You must be the founder, and you also listed a lot of others." In your apartment, you also call them founders, but will they become shareholders? Can you send me a list of the upcoming shareholders? Then I got a list of faxes sent, and there were a lot of people on the list, and I was really surprised. Basically, everyone who works in Jack Ma's apartment has been a founder since the first day, and these are all students of Ma Yun. Mr Ma will cede a large share of the company's stake to the entrepreneurial team. This is Ma Yun, I think this is unique, in other places can not find. Other entrepreneurs tend to say, "I want to hold as many shares as I can and control the company." From day one, Ma's heart is open and shared. I really admire him.

Q: In retrospect, what do you think is the biggest contribution you have made to Alibaba's success before 15?

Answer: That's all. Until the beginning of this year, I have been the CFO of the company. I worked as chief operating officer for a short time. But in a nominal position, I haven't done anything. I am the CFO, responsible for financing, and arranging how to spend the money. For example, when we decided to do Taobao, I positioned the company structure as a joint venture with SoftBank, so we didn't have to do the merger. We know this will peel off a lot of losses, but we don't want to drag down the rest of the company's business. I was involved in every financing and merger deal. But I don't think that's a contribution. In terms of financing, I consider myself a salesman. If it is a good product, it is good to sell.

The first rounds of risk financing, we experienced a very difficult process, but since the 2005 Yahoo shares in Ali, and with the continuous development of Taobao, because of the rapid development of business operations, and then investors chasing our investment.

Q: How do you work with Ma now?

A: Ma Yun works in Hangzhou and I am in Hong Kong. We never worked together in one place, but we talked on the phone every day. Over the years, I feel that what really works is the openness with which we can share one another. I can criticize him, he can criticize me, of course, we will not hurt each other's feelings. This is vital. I remember sometimes arguing with him on the phone that he would quarrel or even hang up his phone. He is the same to me. But we all know it's in the interests of the company to protect it.

Q: Do you remember anything that didn't agree?

A: When we bought Yahoo China, the buyer's business was not very healthy. There are issues that need to be addressed, who should be involved and how to locate the acquirer.

Q: How has the years changed Ma Yun?

A: I think Ma Yun's character has not changed, but his understanding of staff management and business management has been greatly improved to reach a more mature level. Ma Yun is very clever, he can learn the true skill quickly. At first he was an entrepreneur who persuaded his students to come and work for him, and later grew up to be a veritable global business leader. I don't call this transformation, I'd rather call it progress. He has made progress every year. By the way, everyone in the company has grown up. I have made progress, too. I think, compared with myself ten years ago, I am better today.

In terms of personnel management, in the early stages of a company's development, we must communicate a well-defined corporate culture-that is, the corporate mission, and we need to define clear values. These two aspects, coupled with the company's business philosophy, are basically what employees believe.

We have to express it clearly in words, write it down, become our values, and let employees identify with the culture of the company. If the employee's behavior does not match our values, this will affect the employee's performance appraisal results, the bonus will be wasted. Whether the employee's behavior is consistent with our value proposition is one of the contents of the performance evaluation. If there is no teamwork, no embrace of change, performance evaluation is not good. One of our great values is to embrace change because we live in a comprehensive and innovative environment. We must understand this. When the size of the company expands and when you start managing a lot of employees, the value of communication becomes very important.

Q: How does Lu join Ali senior management?

A: Lu joined Alibaba in 2000. Before that, he was the Guangzhou agent of a network fax company we acquired. It was also the first acquisition by Alibaba and perhaps our most successful acquisition. The reason we bought it was not to want the company, but to get the talent there. He came all the way, really rely on hard work, step by step to achieve promotion. His first job was the sales manager of the Guangdong metropolitan area.

Q: Have you ever worked with LU?

A: Normally, I don't work with him. I was in charge of finance, when our only business was business-to-business, and he was responsible for the sales side thing. It was the first time that I had worked with Lu when we decided to split Alipay from Taobao and set up an independent company. Ma Yun let Lu as Alipay CEO, he asked me to be chairman of the supervision of this work. This is the first time that we have worked together formally.

Q: How do you work together now?

A: We are partners in our work because we have a partnership system within us. So, I regard LU as my business partner. There is a big difference in structure between a partner system and a company, because when you have a partner, you have to communicate with the partner about the decision. You can't ask or dictate what the other person does, and the problem is basically a matter of discussion and sometimes controversy. In my opinion, Lu now feels much better than when he was a CEO just six months ago. Looking back at the situation, I think he can see me as a partner of Ma Yun. I am the founder, he is not. This is the case in May 2013. Now, he is the CEO, he should be the one to give the orders. For me, I might think: gee, if I give orders, Lu will challenge me, after all, he is older than me.

I tried to make him feel comfortable in the CEO position, that's what I was doing. I told him, "Mega-jubilee, you see I have to step down from the CFO position." I am responsible for the company's mergers and acquisitions and business development. "I also said:" In this area of responsibility, my job report to you. You're my boss. That's the way we're going to cooperate. I'll discuss things with you. "It made him feel very comfortable. Now we have a very good working relationship. Every time I go to Hangzhou and have free time, I will have dinner with him alone.

Q: How often do you go to Hangzhou?

Answer: Go every month. So this is a good working relationship, and I think the big reason for this is that we have a partnership system in place.

Q: What about the board? You are the executive vice president of the board. is LU a board member?

A: LU is not a board member now, but if we go public, then the CEO is likely to enter the board. We still maintain the director structure of the 2005-year Yahoo stake in Ali. We have only four members of the board. Ma Yun and I, the other two directors are SoftBank son and Yahoo faction representative Jacqueline Reses.

Q: Let's go back to the question of how you improve your performance. How do you improve your performance? As the leader of the most popular Internet company in the world, what experience has Mr Ma gone through? Does Ma Yun have tutor instruction?

A: I don't think Mr Ma has a mentor behind him. However, I think Ma Yun has made so many achievements today, and won the people's high esteem, because he is a teacher. In my opinion, the successful entrepreneur of the teacher's birth has three characteristics: first, good at communication. Excellent teachers can communicate well with students. And they make a convincing, convincing impression. Second, teachers really care about the development of others, their job is to make students better. What you need to do in a company leadership position is to develop management--to make them better. Finally, teachers are willing to bury their pride in their hearts and willing to hire people who are better than them. If you go to a high school reunion, you are already successful, you see your high school teacher, she is very happy to see your great success. Teachers always want their students to be better. Therefore, as a teacher really need to self-deprecating personality, the introduction of better than you talent, thereby promoting the company's development. The company doesn't grow up because its leaders are not growing with the company. Ma Yun always recruit talents to promote the development of the company.

Q: How will the listing affect your company's culture?

A: That's why when we become a public company, we need to strive to protect our culture and ensure our partner system. In this regard, I think there is no room for discussion.

Q: Ma said that when he resigned from the CEO let the young man. How do you see Ma Yun's role in the next few years of development?

A: He said that he resigned as CEO because he wanted to spend more time on strategy. He is the executive chairman of the board, so he is a member of the company. He also wants to take the time to think about the company's development over the next 5-10 years and what might not be an immediate result. For example, cloud computing is not currently our main business, nor is it our major businesses, and Ma has been supporting this business. As well as social responsibility, he will make sure that we cannot forget to repay the society and repay the society as part of our work.

Q: So he didn't slow down?

Answer: No. As a part of the company, he is so busy, so engaged, so hands-on, everyone can not slow down the pace of progress. We all have a strong sense of responsibility and feel that slowing down is like giving up our responsibilities.

Q: Can you talk about the initial public offerings?

A: What IPO? (A laugh)

Q: As executive vice President, how do you think you can cooperate with MA in a new way in the next three years?

A: I am now responsible for strategic investment, and Ma Yun in the business has more exchanges, before, to tell the truth, I feel a bit isolated, I am responsible for the company's finances, and Ma Yun does not interfere in any financial related matters.

But now, I have a lot of things to talk to Ma Yun, because when we look for potential investment opportunities, we look at them from a strategic perspective ... I've talked to him a lot about this before. I want to talk to him. I'd like to hear his opinion. I also communicate with Lu and other business units. So now I feel like I've increased my involvement in the business.

Q: What strategic strategies Are you sure you want to implement?

A: We are trying to internationalize, and users moving from PC to mobile Internet is a big trend. If we are not sure of this, we may have some difficult consequences. It is urgent to find a workable way to get the user.

Q: Even though you did some acquisitions in the United States some years ago, the vast majority of your investment is done in China. Can you do a deeper business in the United States through acquisitions?

A: More than 90% of our business is in China, so we start from China and use acquisitions and investments to meet business growth. In this way, most of the business we do is happening in China. We will be very cautious about acquisitions outside the mainland to expand our business. Obviously, there are cultural differences between the other regions and the Chinese mainland.

Q: Ma is passionate about philanthropy. So, what is your personal interest?

I'm working on a project in my spare time and I'm sponsoring the Hong Kong men's lacrosse team, but I don't think it's a charity project. They will attend the world championships in Denver. At that time, 40 teams from all over the world competed. I played lacrosse in high school and college and was a member of the Big school team. Of course I've been a substitute for four years. But I love this sport. I think it's the greatest sport I know. My kids play this too, and I'm passionate about the sport. Hong Kong has also established its own lacrosse league because it is a tradition for university students to participate in lacrosse projects. I joined the league last year and I seem to be back at the age of more than 20 and enjoy it with a lot more young players than me. The project's world championships are held every four years, and in 2014 Hong Kong will form a team of 23 players to Denver. I told these players that I would be their full sponsorship. I will support them without any strings attached. I just like the sport. I just want to show Hong Kong to the world as a contribution to Hong Kong.