"One of secret sauces of Alibaba is we have a lot of women. Women think about others more than themselves," said Ma, as quoted by the Hollywood Reporter.
Indeed, in the prosperous company which raised more than $21 billion during its IPO on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) last September, women account for 47 percent of its overall staff, while 33 percent of female workers hold senior ranks in the e-commerce giant.
The Chinese businessman has also revealed his global ambitions, stressing that his company was still in its early stages of development. "Compared to 15 years ago, we are big. But compared to 15 years [from now], we are still a baby," he said in an interview with Charlie Rose, an American talk show host and journalist.
Ma emphasized that he was planning to make Alibaba a truly global e-commerce platform.
"Today, the Internet can help small businesses sell things across the oceans, across nations. And I hope we can serve two billion consumers. We can help ten million small businesses outside China," the magnate said.
Curiously, Jack Ma has also shown his interest in the entertainment industry: the Chinese businessman has already launched a project at its Alibaba Pictures film unit and made a business trip to Hollywood.
One of the most intriguing rumors surrounding the e-commerce giant, according to Deadline Hollywood, is that Alibaba may buy Sony Pictures, which "is still licking its wounds" after the notorious cyber attack. The media outlet hinted that the deal is quite possible, citing an unnamed industry source: "If you're Sony Corp, you've probably made $200 million on the film business for each of the last 10 years. So if someone gives you $5 billion…" Deadline Hollwood underscores that if Alibaba Group purchased the Japanese company, it would not face "tough scrutiny" from the United States, pointing out that the potential deal could turn Alibaba into a "world class player."
