Jack Ma laid out plans for leaving Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. on Monday, his 54th birthday. China’s richest man says he will focus much of his time -- and $40 billion fortune -- on education and philanthropy.
Ma will step down as executive chairman at the e-commerce giant in 12 months with Chief Executive Officer Daniel Zhang succeeding him as chairman. Ma will then leave the board in 2020.
Here is a look at how Ma turned Alibaba into Asia’s most valuable firm:
*1999: Jack Ma founds Alibaba with 17 other people in Hangzhou, China, with $60,000