In the beginning I just wanted to survive. For the first three years, we made zero revenue. I remember many times when I was trying to pay up, the restaurant owner would say, 'Your bill was paid.' And there would be a note saying, 'Mr. Ma, I'm your customer on the Alibaba platform. I made a lot of money, and I know you don't, so I paid the bill.'

The competition between me and Bill Gates, probably: Who can spend money more effectively that can do better philanthropy.

Spending money is much more difficult than making money.

Jack Ma Quotes