Uploaded February 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
In this View From The Top interview, Jeremy Tepper, MBA '26, speakers with Joe Tsai, Co-Founder and Chairman of Alibaba.
Joe Tsai joined Alibaba in 1999 as a co-founder alongside Jack Ma and 16 others. In this episode, Tsai shares stories from his more than two-decade journey helping build and lead the company—from early fundraising challenges to how Alibaba has avoided the Innovator’s Dilemma. He also explains how the management team has recently simplified the business to sharpen its focus on e-commerce and cloud/AI.
Tsai reflects on the leadership principles behind Alibaba’s success, including the power of complementary co-founder skill sets, disciplined prioritization, and relentless focus. He closes with his perspective on the global AI race and why he believes the technology should be proliferated worldwide.
Chapters:
Introduction and Early Cross-Cultural Experience (0:00)
Joining Alibaba and Finding the Right People (3:33)
The Co-Founder Formula (6:41)
Bridging Cultural Gaps as a New Co-founder (9:18)
Early Fundraising Challenges and Alibaba's Mission (11:50)
The Launch of Tao and Seeding the Marketplace (17:28)
Navigating the Innovator's Dilemma (21:53)
Return as Chairman and Strategic Decisions (27:57)
The Global AI Race (32:16)
Investment in Sports Teams: Brooklyn Nets and New York Liberty (38:38)
Passion and Career Advice (40:27)
Crowd Q&A: Business Structuring and Capital Allocation (42:02)
Crowd Q&A: Alibaba's Culture and Bureaucracy (46:19)
Crowd Q&A: AI Transformation Challenges (48:03)
Rapid Fire Questions (50:30)
Advice on Building a Global Company (52:29)
In this View From The Top interview, Jeremy Tepper, MBA '26, speakers with Joe Tsai, Co-Founder and Chairman of Alibaba.
Joe Tsai joined Alibaba in 1999 as a co-founder alongside Jack Ma and 16 others. In this episode, Tsai shares stories from his more than two-decade journey helping build and lead the company—from early fundraising challenges to how Alibaba has avoided the Innovator’s Dilemma. He also explains how the management team has recently simplified the business to sharpen its focus on e-commerce and cloud/AI.
Tsai reflects on the leadership principles behind Alibaba’s success, including the power of complementary co-founder skill sets, disciplined prioritization, and relentless focus. He closes with his perspective on the global AI race and why he believes the technology should be proliferated worldwide.
Chapters:
Introduction and Early Cross-Cultural Experience (0:00)
Joining Alibaba and Finding the Right People (3:33)
The Co-Founder Formula (6:41)
Bridging Cultural Gaps as a New Co-founder (9:18)
Early Fundraising Challenges and Alibaba's Mission (11:50)
The Launch of Tao and Seeding the Marketplace (17:28)
Navigating the Innovator's Dilemma (21:53)
Return as Chairman and Strategic Decisions (27:57)
The Global AI Race (32:16)
Investment in Sports Teams: Brooklyn Nets and New York Liberty (38:38)
Passion and Career Advice (40:27)
Crowd Q&A: Business Structuring and Capital Allocation (42:02)
Crowd Q&A: Alibaba's Culture and Bureaucracy (46:19)
Crowd Q&A: AI Transformation Challenges (48:03)
Rapid Fire Questions (50:30)
Advice on Building a Global Company (52:29)
