Rebirth 2010: I taught Mr. Lei how to make a mobile phone

Chapter 962 Chen Mo Runs Away
"After reading about Alibaba's growth history, I was deeply moved."

Nineteen years have passed in the blink of an eye; I never imagined this day would come so soon.

Old Ma stood in the center of the stage, his tone calm yet powerful.

"Actually, last month was our real anniversary, but some things happened that everyone knows about, so it's been delayed until now."

However, I have been preparing for this day for ten years.

"Thank you for the trust of all Alibaba management, leadership, employees, and shareholders/directors."

I once said, "I fear neither heaven nor earth, except a CFO becoming CEO." Today I want to add: Daniel Zhang (Jack Ma) is an exception.

"Today is not my personal retirement, but the beginning of a system's succession. It is not one person's choice, but the success of a system."

"This decision was not made on a whim, nor was it made under pressure—some people online said I was scared? As an Alibaba employee, I have never been afraid; I just have awe for the future."

"If we want to leave something behind, besides good systems, there is also 'good intentions'."

We must also understand that technology must be used for good. We hope that the technology we, as Alibaba employees, use brings hope, not despair.

Alibaba's future is not about proving we can make money for 102 years, but about proving we are willing to take on responsibility for 102 years. Only by taking on responsibility for 102 years can we possibly make money for 102 years.
Thank you to everyone who has helped, supported, and trusted Alibaba;

Thank you to all Alibaba employees and friends at Alibaba;

Thank you for this amazing city, this great era, and this country.

As for my next plan
Life is not about what you achieve, but about what you experience.

The world is so wonderful, and there are so many things waiting to be experienced.

One employee wrote in their resignation letter: "The world is so big, I want to go see it."

Now, this has become my reason for not stepping down as chairman.

"The world is so wonderful, with so many opportunities, and I love excitement so much."

I want to explore a different world, where the green hills remain and the clear waters flow on—until we meet again.

Finally, Lao Ma led the singing of "Chasing Dreams with a Pure Heart".

When he reached the climax of the song, singing "Run forward with the pride of deficit," he became so excited that his voice cracked and tears streamed down his face on stage.

Tens of thousands of employees participated in the chorus. When the camera cut to the audience below the stage, many people had tears in their eyes, making for a touching scene.

Many long-time employees felt reluctant to leave, but at the same time, they were full of expectations for the new management team, represented by Zhang Yong, hoping that the new leadership would lead them to another attempt at listing.

This annual meeting is both a tribute to a business era and a way to consolidate and strengthen corporate culture amidst turbulent times.

The news of "Old Ma's retirement" sent shockwaves through the Chinese internet industry.

Suspension of listing, closure of the academy, and retirement—Old Ma took the initiative to express his stance at the right time and in the most dignified manner, and the relevant parties also gave him corresponding leniency and a way out.

The vast majority of media outlets praised this move, hailing it as a model of "wise retreat" for Chinese internet companies.

They devoted considerable space to reviewing Jack Ma's legendary journey from English teacher to founder of Alibaba, emphasizing that he not only reshaped China's business ecosystem but also influenced the global e-commerce and payment landscape.

Subsequently, the media highly praised Alibaba's partnership system, believing that this smooth handover marked a healthy transformation for Chinese enterprises from "founder-driven" to "system-driven".

Professional media outlets such as Caijing pointed out that this sets a benchmark for modern governance for family-owned or founder-led enterprises.

Major international media outlets such as Forbes and Time magazine have reported on Jack Ma's retirement as a major business event, regarding him as a symbolic figure of China's reform and opening up and the rise of the digital economy.

International media outlets such as The Wall Street Journal and the BBC emphasized that this is the first time among the world's major internet companies that a founder has voluntarily relinquished management at the prime of his life (age 54).
However, beneath the unanimous praise, the public discourse was still rife with speculation about motives, anxieties about the future, and complex emotions about the quiet end of a commercial era.

The dramatic turn of events in Ant Group's fate has made this "perfect retirement" even more open to interpretation in retrospect, drawing a variety of comments from netizens. "To be honest, experience truly matters."

"Feng Qingyang washed his hands of the martial arts world and retired from the martial arts world, which can be regarded as a good story in the martial arts world."

"Bullshit! Even the Nine Swords of Dugu were beaten senseless by the Chaotic Cloak. What else can they do but retire into seclusion?"

"Is Old Ma really going to go out and spread good karma in society now?"

Many colleagues have also publicly expressed their admiration.

Wang Xing, Zhou Hongyi, and others praised the decision, saying it required immense courage and wisdom and demonstrated responsibility for the company's long-term development.

Upon hearing the news, Lei Jun, Liu Qiangdong, Pony Ma, Robin Li, and others were initially shocked, and then sighed with regret.

They belonged to the first generation of internet entrepreneurs, just like Lao Ma, and never expected that Lao Ma would be the first to "fall behind".

Chen Mo scrolled through domestic public opinion, typed a few words on his phone, and tapped send.

His Weibo account, which had been inactive for a long time, was updated again, and it remained concise and to the point:

"The world of martial arts is vast and distant; the martial arts world will never see Feng Qingyang again. [clasped hands]"

IP address: Seoul.

He then sent Chen Tong a message—this was an additional "side story" to the "Ma Yi Jin Fu" project after his late-night talk with Lao Ma.

The Weibo comment section quickly heated up:
"The phrase 'No more Feng Qingyang' encapsulates the end of an era. Respect to Mr. Ma, and kudos to Mr. Chen for his vision. The next decade is yours to decide!"

"It feels like heroes respecting each other. They fought to the death back then, and now they're saying goodbye in the most dignified way. That's probably the magnanimity between top entrepreneurs."

"At this moment, competition temporarily gives way to respect. Xiao Mo's Weibo post showed extremely high emotional intelligence, both comforting the feelings of the Alibaba group and demonstrating the demeanor of the other side as a new leader."

"I have mixed feelings. As a long-time Alibaba employee, I almost teared up when I saw this sentence. Thank you, Mr. Chen, and best wishes to the other side."

However, after media reports revealed Chen Mo's appearance at the Shilla Hotel in Seoul, and rumors circulated that he was "seemingly seeking refuge," the comments section suddenly shifted into a scene of intense mystery:

"I knew it! The reason why Xiao Mo's Weibo post was tagged as Seoul seems to confirm the rumors~"

"Teacher Ma retired right after, and Xiao Mo went abroad. Think about it carefully."

“No problem. He ruined trillions of dollars in profits in one fell swoop. Coupled with the previous actions of the other side, cutting off someone’s source of income is like killing their parents. It’s reasonable for him to go into hiding.”

"But why run? Isn't the capital the safest place?"

"What are you thinking? Do you know that during the 3Q War, Lao Zhou was also in Beijing at the time, so why did he run away?"

"How can they be the same? What's Old Zhou's status? What's Xiao Mo's status?"

"Yeah, how can they be the same? Think about Tencent's scale back then, and Ant Financial's scale now."
And didn't you see Chen Mo's previous Weibo list? It included NM's capital. Do you even know what autonomy means? And this is just the tip of the iceberg.”

"It seems fortunate that Xiao Mo has a private jet to avoid the limelight."

"That means the flight routes can be applied for in advance, so it seems Mr. Merkel has connections too~"

As public opinion intensified, Chen Mo updated his Weibo again:
"Don't speculate, it's not that serious. It's just a normal business trip; I'll be back in China next week!"

It would have been better if Chen Mo hadn't updated; the fact that he did has only made netizens more panicked, creating the legendary effect of making the rumors seem even more credible the more they try to deny them.

The last sentence, "Returning to China next week," in particular, inexplicably reminded people of a similar message that Lao Jia posted a few years ago.

As a result, Lao Jia posted on Weibo, but for some reason, the person didn't escape.

(End of this chapter)