Jack Ma may, at first glance, look a slightly geeky-looking retailer. But in his native China the 49-year-old founder of Alibaba Group enjoys the status of a rock star, as the symbol of a generation on the move.
And like many rockstars Mr Ma is prone to bouts of petulance – something the former English teacher proved again this week when he picked a fight with Hong Kong’s stock market authorities. The world’s largest e-commerce marketplace wants to sell shares in an initial public offering in Hong Kong that bankers say could raise $15bn and value it at up to $120bn. But after Hong Kong regulators refused to agree to its terms, Alibaba quit the stage and started the process of listing in the US instead.
Despite his diminutive stature, Mr Ma is a huge figure in the world’s biggest internet market. His rise from language teacher to internet mogul mirrors the rise of the Chinese internet; his battles with some of the most powerful names in Silicon Valley have become the stuff of legend. Analysts say such conflicts could herald a future where China’s internet giants dominate the world.