The Tao of Alibaba: Inside the Chinese Digital Giant that Is Changing the World

The Tao of Alibaba offers a peek inside the window of the inner workings of Alibaba from when it started off as an office in Jack Ma’s dusty apartment in Hangzhou, China to becoming a global corporation with over 200,000 employees worldwide within a span of 20 years. The author offers a unique perspective bridging the East and West by highlighting western management principles woven into eastern philosophy. Insights into Alibaba’s leadership principles are covered in depth and brought together with lively stories and anecdotes. In fact, the title of the book was the name of the senior management leadership seminar geared for cultivating the company’s high-potential next generation leaders. One chapter in the book shows how a powerful MVV (Mission Vision and Values) can rally a high-performance team together and sustainably keep a start-up growing after the passion fades and daily life becomes a grind.Reading this book has allowed me to appreciate a business paradigm that doesn’t put profits first. The author provides many examples of how companies that adopt customer value, employee development, and sustainable inclusive development practices are able to promote a more resilient and adaptive business model. The principles and management philosophies that helped Alibaba succeed was able to be successfully replicated with other start-up businesses around the world.Highly recommended and a must-read!

Upon immersing myself in Brian's book, I was enthralled by the captivating journey it took me on through Alibaba's distinct culture and its remarkable evolutionary path. Skillfully entwining personal anecdotes into the narrative, the author ensures a truly delightful and engaging read that leaves a lasting impact. The book not only grants unique insights into Alibaba's early days and growth, but also provides a fascinating glimpse into the dynamic landscape of China's digital economy.As someone who was part of the Alibaba family and had the privilege of working alongside this exceptional leader, I wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone seeking a deeper understanding of Alibaba, China and its business culture, and valuable leadership insights. It offers an inspiring portrayal of the visionary entrepreneur and business leader who played a pivotal role in shaping Ali's success story and globalisation strategy, making it an enriching read for all curious minds.

In the book “The Tao of Alibaba”, Brian Wong has elaborated vividly on the inner workings of Alibaba, a great company that has helped reshape the daily lives of billions of people both in and outside of China over the past two decades or so. This is also the period that China has experienced breath-taking fast economic growth and with it gained ever-growing influence on the world stage. To me, this is not a coincidence. “The Tao of Alibaba” not only reflects the novel business practice of a great company like Alibaba but also sheds light on how China has evolved in the meantime.In my own experience, the best way for foreigners to gain deep understanding of American life is to work at American companies. Likewise, Brian Wong, grown up and educated in the US, travelled to China and worked at Alibaba for many years since the company’s early stage. The natural combination of the time (the past two decades or so), the place (country and company) and the person (Brian Wong) allows the author to be in the best position in the Tao of War in introducing the Tao of Alibaba to the audiences outside of China.No other times has been more critical than right now to establish a proper and healthy understanding of the Tao of Alibaba and beyond.

Let me start by saying I’m biased here. Brian Wong is a friend and former Alibaba colleague. And I’ve even written books about e-commerce myself. But what Brian has done is truly capture and communicate the inner workings of Alibaba on a deep level, so that others can understand the cultural DNA that allowed Alibaba to grow and thrive. And as someone who knows the company well, let me say that Brian is the only American employee at Alibaba who was at the company all the way from Jack Ma’s apartment to the largest IPO in history, later traveling with Jack to meet heads of state as Alibaba’s influence went global. Bottom line: if you want to truly understand Alibaba, READ THIS BOOK!

Brian understands both the East and the West. He views are from both inside and outside of Alibaba. This combination makes his observations incredibly valuable for understanding the digital giant’s secret to success. A must read for all business school students, and anyone who is interested in entrepreneurship, e-commerce, fintech, super app and corporate management in general!