Alibaba
Rejected from 30 jobs, even KFC — then a record $25B IPO.
▶ Founder shortScalingBusiness & growthE-commerceMarketplaceAIChina
Jack Ma failed his college entrance exam twice, was rejected from thirty jobs — when KFC came to Hangzhou, 24 people applied, 23 were hired, and he was the one no — and Harvard turned him down ten times. A $12-a-month English teacher, he founded Alibaba in his apartment in 1999 with 17 friends. Its 2014 IPO raised $25B, then the largest ever, and the company became worth over $200B. The most-quoted rejection story in startup culture.
Why it's indexed
- Record-setting $25B IPO in 2014; a $200B+ company.
- Founded by a teacher in an apartment with 17 co-founders.
- Now a major Chinese AI lab too, through its Qwen open models.
Coverage
Founder short: Jack Ma & AlibabaFounder short
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