A great opportunity is often hard to be explained clearly; things that can be explained clearly are often not the best opportunities.

My dream was to set up my own e-commerce company. In 1999, I gathered 18 people in my apartment and spoke to them for two hours about my vision. Everyone put their money on the table, and that got us $60,000 to start Alibaba. I wanted to have a global company, so I chose a global name.

I'm not a tech guy. I'm looking at the technology with the eyes of my customers, normal people's eyes.

Success and profitability are outcomes of focusing on customers and employees, not objectives.

You should learn from your competitor, but never copy. Copy and you die.

I know nothing about technology.

The opportunities that everyone cannot see are the real opportunities.