Jack Ma Makes Rare Appearance for Alibaba Cloud’s 15th Anniversary
Alibaba founder Jack Ma made a rare and high-profile appearance on April 10, visiting Alibaba’s Yunxi Campus in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, to mark the 15th anniversary of Alibaba Cloud. His presence drew considerable attention, highlighting his continued connection to the tech giant he founded despite stepping back from executive responsibilities several years ago.
During his visit, Ma was seen casually dressed in a white commemorative T-shirt printed with the phrase “Alibaba Cloud 15th Anniversary since 2009,” emphasizing the importance of Alibaba Cloud’s milestone. His casual attire was complemented by Alibaba’s recently updated employee badge, which prominently featured his well-known alias, “Feng Qingyang” (风清扬). This new badge design is part of a broader initiative by Alibaba, intended to promote workplace identity and strengthen internal culture, urging employees to visibly wear their badges within company premises.
Jack Ma’s rare public appearance came at a significant juncture, not only celebrating Alibaba Cloud’s anniversary but also symbolizing his ongoing, albeit understated, engagement with the company. Over recent years, Ma has maintained a relatively low profile, frequently focusing on international travel, philanthropy, and academic initiatives, leading many to speculate about his role and influence within Alibaba and the broader Chinese tech landscape.
Alibaba Cloud, founded in 2009, has grown dramatically over the past decade and a half, establishing itself as one of the world’s top cloud computing platforms alongside rivals like Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud. The company provides comprehensive cloud services, including elastic computing, data storage, network security, and sophisticated big data and analytics solutions, serving millions of customers globally across various industries.
The Yunxi Campus, where Ma’s visit took place, symbolizes Alibaba’s commitment to technological innovation and sustainability. Officially opened in 2022, the campus is located in Hangzhou’s Xihu District and spans approximately 450,000 square meters—roughly equivalent to 62.9 standard football fields. Alibaba invested around 13.8 billion yuan ($2 billion) into the development of this state-of-the-art facility, intended to foster innovation and collaboration within the company and its various subsidiaries.
Ma’s appearance is particularly meaningful as Alibaba Cloud continues to face both significant opportunities and heightened competition in the global cloud market. As the cornerstone of Alibaba’s technology ecosystem, Alibaba Cloud’s success is critical not only for the company’s future but also for China’s broader digital economy ambitions.