Never Give Up

Jack Ma in His Own Words

By: Jack Ma

Narrated by: Troy W. Hudson

Ever since the Alibaba Group went public on September 19, 2014 - with an initial public offering of a record-breaking $25 billion - Jack Ma, the founder and charismatic "spiritual leader" of the e-commerce behemoth, has been making headlines around the world. In 2014, the company's online transactions totaled $248 billion - more than those of Amazon and eBay combined. The first Chinese entrepreneur to appear on the cover of Forbes, Ma is the now the second-richest man in China, with a net worth that is estimated to be more than $29 billion.

Despite Ma's massive influence in China and in the global tech world, his inspirational rags-to-riches story is relatively unknown to the general American public. Never Give Up: Jack Ma in His Own Words is a comprehensive guide to the inner workings of arguably the most prominent figure in the global tech world in the past 20 years - comprised entirely of Ma's own thought-provoking and candid quotes.

When Ma decided to start his first Internet company in 1999, few Chinese people knew what the Internet was. Ma, a former English teacher, knew nothing about coding, and his $20,000 in startup funds were not made up of investments from venture capitalists, but loans from his family. He channeled his startup experience into Alibaba, a group of websites that allows businesses and people to connect in order to buy and sell products, similar to eBay and Amazon, while also collecting advertising revenue, similar to Google. By some measures, Alibaba is now the largest e-commerce site in the world.

In this book, more than 200 quotes on business values, innovation, entrepreneurship, competition, management, teamwork, life, and more provide an intimate and direct look into the mind of this modern business icon and philanthropist. Many of these quotes are translated directly from the Chinese press and interviews. For those who do not understand Chinese and have no other access to these materials, this book provides invaluable insight into the mind of one of the world's most successful business magnates.

©2016 NewInTech, LLC; 2016 Jack Ma

good book

Good book. Interesting to learn about Alibaba start up and business decisions. Lessons small businesses can incorporate.

inspiring business story

Loved it. Great story about entrepreneurial thinking from a chinese perspective. Successful business persons make it simple and inspiring. Jack did a great Job. I want to do business in china now. oh, happy singles day!

Good information, easy listen

I don’t usually read books about business, they bore me. This was different. I enjoyed it and there’s life lessons in the book.

A multiplier in life, work, and to the people

Jack Ma is an incredible individual based on the things that I’ve read. While I’ve never met him, I’ve learned enough to believe that he lives what he preaches. It’s refreshing to listen to his personal views, beliefs, and ethics and how he applies those to his life. In a world today that thrives on being self-centered, he lives and teaches the opposite. He lifts people up and helps them thrive. His view that customers come first with the ideology of honesty, trust, and transparency helps them grow and by doing so has brought a level of integrity that is often not seen in other industries. I recommend this book; it’s not long and if you let it, it will provide inspiration to all aspects of life.

Simple to understand

Very simple to understand the value of building your business or growing in one. Loved it.