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Alibaba
- The House That Jack Ma Built
- Narrated by: Jim Meskimen
- Length: 9 hrs and 9 mins
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Alibaba
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Publisher's Summary
An engrossing insider's account of how a teacher built one of the world's most valuable companies - rivaling Walmart and Amazon - and forever reshaped the global economy.
In just a decade and a half, Jack Ma, a man from modest beginnings who started out as an English teacher, founded Alibaba and built it into one of the world's largest companies, an e-commerce empire on which hundreds of millions of Chinese consumers depend. Alibaba's $25 billion IPO in 2014 was the largest global IPO ever. A Rockefeller of his age who is courted by CEOs and presidents around the world, Jack is an icon for China's booming private sector and the gatekeeper to hundreds of millions of middle-class consumers.
Duncan Clark first met Jack in 1999 in the small apartment where Jack founded Alibaba. Granted unprecedented access to a wealth of new material including exclusive interviews, Clark draws on his own experience as an early advisor to Alibaba and two decades in China chronicling the Internet's impact on the country to create an authoritative, compelling narrative account of Alibaba's rise.
How did Jack overcome his humble origins and early failures to achieve massive success with Alibaba? How did he outsmart rival entrepreneurs from China and Silicon Valley? Can Alibaba maintain its 80 percent market share? As it forges ahead into finance and entertainment, are there limits to Alibaba's ambitions? How does the Chinese government view its rise? Will Alibaba expand further overseas, including in the US?
Clark tells Alibaba's tale in the context of China's momentous economic and social changes, illuminating an unlikely corporate titan as never before.
What listeners say about Alibaba
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Chris Waters
- 26-07-2017
Missing Something
although the story was good and I was enjoying it. This book felt short and like it was missing something, it felt like it just ended.
Elon Musk's book felt like it went into so much more.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Hayley
- 02-05-2017
Thoroughly enjoyable
What made the experience of listening to Alibaba the most enjoyable?
This is well written and the narration is excellent. Clear and concise.
What other book might you compare Alibaba to, and why?
Elon Musk. They are similar in some ways, coming from a tough background and working their way up out of sheer determination.
Which scene did you most enjoy?
Learning about Jack's earlier home life and what drove him to learn English and get into business.
Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
An informative book for anyone thinking of starting up their own entrepreneurial venture. It gives great insight into the industry of the internet and sales.
Any additional comments?
This is a must-read for anyone in business.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Tim
- 21-07-2018
A little dry for my liking.
delivered a tomeline of events and a few anecdotes about Jacks life but overall I would have liked it to be more about Jack the man not just the company and his competition. still worth a listen just on 2x speed
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 01-05-2019
Inspiring & worth reading
the narrator has done a good job despite some Chinese names haven't been pronunced accurately.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 22-05-2018
Great performance and story
If you are lookong for inspiration, don't buy it. if you inspired but looking for a push to put in the work, don't buy it. Only buy this if you want an appreciation for how difficult the road to success is.
Jack Ma's story is woven between the realities of doing business in China and the US. More so this narrative tells of the rise of the internet in a country that tries to control as much as it can. It is a wonder that Jack and his peers have survived and thrived in that country, a testament to the agile and manouverability of entrepreneurs when they need to find their space.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- GreatSeaViews
- 26-12-2021
Very detailed account of Alibaba
Doing business in China is no doubt very challenging but this account of Alibaba is very detailed and highly recommended to gain a better understanding of the company.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 29-01-2018
Good story. One problem!
Good story but one problem the performance. They could of got someone who can pronounce the Chinese words correctly. The pronounciation was cringe worthy and I'm not even Chinese.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Adam
- 23-10-2017
interesting
really enjoyed the key points about getting things right around who you serve. Finding the right people is always key
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Andrew M
- 19-12-2016
A very interesting story of a man who has built something huge
I knew very little about Jack Ma and Alibaba. It's truly amazing what he's built despite incredible odds.
Full of really interesting info, however I found it a little laborious to listen to.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Jeremy
- 28-05-2017
Good story but cringeworthy Chinese pronunciation
Great story. Enjoyed it. But for something with so many Chinese names in it, you would think the narrator would have a reasonable ability in Chinese pronunciation. Needs help
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2 people found this helpful