Famous Quote
“If you don't give up, you still have a chance.”
Why #89
See entry #12 for Ma's full Alibaba story. Ant Group/Alipay represents his second act — building the fintech platform that made China's cashless revolution possible.
The Story
Beyond Alibaba (entry #12), Jack Ma built Ant Group — the parent company of Alipay — into the largest fintech company in the world. Alipay processes trillions of dollars annually and has over 1 billion users. It transformed China from a cash-based society into the world's most advanced digital payments economy, where even street vendors accept mobile payments.
Ant Group's planned $37B IPO in 2020 would have been the largest in history, but Chinese regulators halted it days before listing after Ma publicly criticized China's financial regulators. The incident led to a broader crackdown on Chinese tech companies and effectively ended Ma's public career. See entry #12 for his full Alibaba story.
Key Achievements
See entry #12 for full achievements
By the Numbers
#12
See entry
Fun Facts
See entry #12 for full details.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who are the greatest entrepreneurs of all time?
The greatest entrepreneurs include Steve Jobs (Apple), Elon Musk (Tesla/SpaceX), Jeff Bezos (Amazon), Bill Gates (Microsoft), and Mark Zuckerberg (Meta). Each built companies that fundamentally changed how the world works — from personal computing and smartphones to e-commerce, cloud computing, and social media.
What makes someone a successful entrepreneur?
Successful entrepreneurs share several traits: the ability to identify unmet needs, willingness to take calculated risks, relentless execution, and resilience in the face of failure. They combine vision with practical problem-solving and are willing to persist long after most people would quit. Capital and credentials matter far less than most people think — resourcefulness beats resources.
Can you become an entrepreneur without a business degree?
Absolutely. Many of the greatest entrepreneurs had no business education. Steve Jobs dropped out of college. Richard Branson left school at 16. Sara Blakely was selling fax machines. Henry Ford had no formal engineering training. Jack Ma was an English teacher. What matters is not the degree — it is the ability to see an opportunity, build something people want, and persist through failure.
Get Glen's Musings
Occasional thoughts on AI, Claude, investing, and building things. Free. No spam.
Unsubscribe anytime. I respect your inbox more than Congress respects property rights.
Keep Exploring
Top 25 Famous Entrepreneurs
See the full ranked list of the greatest entrepreneurs of all time.
Read moreBillionaires & Icons
Profiles of the world's most successful investors and builders.
Read moreTop 25 Value Investors
The greatest value investors of all time, ranked.
Read moreGreatest Trades Ever
The most legendary investment decisions in financial history.
Read moreTop 25 Stock Market Books
The 25 books every investor should read.
Read moreTrack Record
Glen Bradford's documented investment returns since 2013.
Read more