, Columnist
Alibaba Doesn't Need Jack
The founder and former leader is bringing unwanted attention, but Alibaba is pushing on regardless.
Daniel Zhang, chief executive officer of Alibaba, is steering the e-commerce giant into the post-Ma era.
Photographer: Vivek Prakash/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. needs to get past the Jack Ma era. And fast. Thankfully, its latest earnings indicate it’s managing to do just that.
Revenue and operating income at the e-commerce giant both hit new highs despite a 3.9% decline in retail sales in a battered Chinese economy that limped through the Covid-19 pandemic last year. And Alibaba’s newer businesses, such as cloud computing and logistics, continued to grow strongly.