Jack Ma performs onstage during Alibaba's 20th anniversary party in Hangzhou, China on Sept.10, 2019. During the event, Ma stepped down as chairman of the company. © Reuters

In pictures: Jack Ma, Alibaba's rock star founder, bows out

Teacher-turned-entrepreneur pioneered the world's largest e-commerce market

Nikkei staff writers

September 30, 2020 17:29 JST

TOKYO -- Alibaba Group bids farewell to its 56-year-old founder on Wednesday as Jack Ma, the English teacher-turned-entrepreneur, officially steps down from the board of the Chinese e-commerce giant.

From humble beginnings in 1999, Alibaba has grown into an online juggernaut with annual sales events that regularly smash global records. That dizzying success owes much to the flamboyant Ma, who became the face of not only Alibaba but also of Chinese entrepreneurship.