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Alibaba CEO Lu Rises From Holiday Inn Job to Ma Confidant: Tech
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Jonathan Lu’s first job after college wasn’t what he’d envisioned -- stuck at the reception desk at a Holiday Inn in Guangzhou, China. He had forgotten to fill out a page of his university entrance exam and instead of architecture school, he ended up in a hotel management program.
Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.’s chief executive officer recounts the story to show his ability to overcome hurdles -- and how in just 15 years he went from greeting hotel guests to being tapped this February by billionaire Jack Ma to run China’s largest e-commerce company.