In the history of China's Internet development, Alibaba is undoubtedly a milestone that cannot be bypassed. From 1999, when Jack Ma and 17 founding members started with a meager capital of 500,000 yuan, to growing into the world's leading e-commerce giant, Alibaba's growth trajectory is full of legends. Along the way, Japan's SoftBank Group, as its largest shareholder, is undoubtedly an indispensable part of this history. However, with SoftBank announcing the sale of all its shares in Alibaba, this marks Alibaba's official farewell to the era of foreign major shareholders and opens a new chapter of "Made in China", which heralds a new beginning for Alibaba and even the entire Chinese Internet industry.
Back in the late 20th century, when Jack Ma and his team were still struggling to survive Alibaba, Son, with his keen investment vision, decided to inject $80 million into the little-known Chinese start-up. This is not only a gamble, but also a strong trust in the vision of Jack Ma and his team. In the years that followed, this investment turned into gold, bringing SoftBank an astonishing return of more than 1,000 times, and became a good story in the investment world. However, over time, SoftBank's strategic focus shifted, gradually reducing its stake in Alibaba from 2016 to support other projects, notably the acquisition of British chip design company ARM, a series of moves that gradually weakened its controlling position in Alibaba.
SoftBank's exit allows Alibaba to return to the embrace of Chinese capital more thoroughly, which is of far-reaching significance for Alibaba's future development. For a long time, although Alibaba has created amazing commercial value, its development in some specific areas of the Chinese market has been limited due to the problem of foreign holdings. Now, with the deepening of Alibaba's "sinicization", it will be able to better integrate into the national development strategy, enjoy more policy support, and play a more central role in the tide of "Made in China" and "Created in China".
Although Jack Ma announced his retirement in 2019, he has never been far from Alibaba. As the shaper of Alibaba's culture and the chief designer of strategy, Jack Ma continues to influence the company's decision-making and development through his role as a permanent partner. In the critical period when Alibaba is facing external pressure and internal adjustment, Jack Ma's foresight and insistence on innovation have become an important force to promote Alibaba's transformation and breakthrough. The appointment of the new CEO Wu Yongming and the personnel changes at the top level all reflect Jack Ma's trust and expectations for the new generation of management team, indicating that Alibaba is moving towards a more flexible and innovative direction.
Looking ahead, Alibaba will face dual challenges from domestic and foreign markets: on the one hand, technological innovation is changing with each passing day, and how to stay ahead in the fields of artificial intelligence, big data, and cloud computing is the top priority for Alibaba; On the other hand, with the increasingly fierce competition in the domestic market and the continuous emergence of new forces, how to maintain the existing advantages while opening up new growth points is also a problem that cannot be ignored. However, as Jack Ma firmly believes, only by constantly innovating and daring to innovate oneself can we find new vitality in change.
With the strong support of Chinese capital, Alibaba is expected to ride the wave of the global digital economy and continue to write glories. SoftBank's comprehensive withdrawal is not only an important node in Alibaba's development process, but also a turning point in its development towards a more independent and localized development stage. At this new starting point, Alibaba is moving towards a more brilliant future with a firmer pace and writing a new chapter of "Made in China".