On November 29th, a Securities Times reporter learned from within Alibaba that Jack Ma spoke on the Alibaba intranet, responding to discussions by Alibaba employees about Pinduoduo's financial report data and Alibaba's operational suggestions, while also looking forward to future development trends in the e-commerce industry.
Jack Ma's intranet responds to employee discussions
Previously, An Alibaba employee posted on the intranet stating: "It's hard to sleep at this moment, and I can't even think about it. Pinduoduo's market value has directly reached $185.5 billion, which is only 8 billion less than our $194.3 billion. It's really a shock. That inconspicuous person is about to become the big brother. I didn't want to post this post without any content or nutrition, but in thought, I still left this post as a reminder and as my own encouragement. I hope to work hard with the group brothers to contribute and surpass it."
Jack Ma responded in a post on the 10th floor of the intranet, saying, "Very good. Please provide more constructive opinions and suggestions, especially innovative ideas.". "I believe everyone at Alibaba is watching and listening today. I firmly believe that Alibaba will change, and Alibaba will change. All great companies are born in winter. The era of AI e-commerce has just begun, and it is both an opportunity and a challenge for everyone."
Jack Ma also expressed congratulations on Pinduoduo's decisions, implementation, and efforts over the past few years. "Everyone has done well, but only those who can reform for tomorrow's Tianniu and are willing to pay any price or sacrifice are respected. Returning to our mission and vision, Ali people, come on!"
On the evening of November 28th, Pinduoduo released its performance report for the third quarter of 2023, which showed that Pinduoduo achieved a revenue of 68.84 billion yuan in the third quarter, a year-on-year increase of 93.9%; Realized a net profit of 17.03 billion yuan for NON-GAAP, a year-on-year increase of 37%. After the opening of the US stock market on that day, Pinduoduo rose nearly 20% and closed up 18%, with a market value of $184.7 billion, compared to Alibaba's market value of approximately $195.4 billion during the same period.
In a conference call after the financial report was released, Pinduoduo CEO Chen Lei stated that Pinduoduo's development benefits from a high-quality development strategy. "This year is a year of intensified competition in the e-commerce industry. Pinduoduo will adhere to a high-quality development strategy and maintain strategic composure. Through rapid product iteration and user feedback cycles, it will accumulate experience to achieve sustainable and high-quality growth." Chen Lei said.
Alibaba executives have posted multiple articles on the intranet this year
Regarding Jack Ma's post on the intranet, an internal employee of Alibaba told reporters that Jack Ma is quite active on the intranet and has always paid close attention to the opinions of employees.
Since the beginning of this year, Alibaba executives have posted multiple times on the intranet. On November 22nd, in response to rumors of Jack Ma selling a huge amount of Alibaba stocks, Alibaba Group Partner and Chief Talent Officer Jiang Fang posted on the Alibaba intranet stating that "Jack Ma has not sold a single share.".
According to the original text released by Jiang Fang's internal website, Jack Ma's office signed a share reduction contract with a stock broker earlier this year in accordance with the US SEC 10b5-1 regulations in order to invest in agricultural technology and public welfare projects both domestically and internationally. According to the regulations, this future share reduction plan with prior conditions will be announced to the public in mid November. November 16th happened to be the set disclosure date, but the stockbroker was unaware that it happened to be the day Alibaba released its financial report. This coincidence was the first cause of misunderstandings among the outside world. The selling price set in August was much higher than the current stock price, so Jack Ma did not sell a single share, which is a second misunderstanding from the outside world.
Meanwhile, Jiang Fang is also debunking rumors on the internal network that Alibaba is planning to lay off 25000 employees. She said, "This rumor has a nose and an eye, and it also creates a storyline about how we can apply for approval from the human resources and social security departments at all levels. The group has reported to the police to hold the rumor mongers accountable, and hopes to see them take responsibility soon."
At that time, Chairman Cai Chongxin also posted after Jiang Fang's article stating: "Alibaba has been facing various doubts and challenges from the beginning until now. However, we have persevered and overcome one difficulty after another in these doubts and challenges. Today, with the rapid iteration of global technology and business models, it is a challenge for everyone, but it is also an excellent opportunity. As long as we have an open mindset and innovative thinking, we have the opportunity to create a unique Alibaba."
On March 28th this year, Alibaba launched its largest organizational change in 24 years. The Alibaba Group was split into a "1+6+N" structure, which established six major business groups and multiple business companies, including Alibaba Cloud Intelligence, Taobao and Tmall, Local Life, Cainiao, International Digital Commerce, and Da Wen Yu. Zhang Yong, then Chairman and CEO of Alibaba Group, served as Chairman and CEO of Cloud Intelligence Group.
By September 10th, Alibaba's current round of transformation has basically taken shape. Cai Chongxin, Executive Vice Chairman of Alibaba Group, was appointed as the Chairman of the Group's Board of Directors; Wu Yongming appointed as the CEO of the group; On the same day, Zhang Yong stepped down as Chairman and CEO of Alibaba Group and stepped down from all positions at Alibaba Cloud. The Chairman and CEO of Alibaba Cloud were concurrently held by Alibaba Group CEO Wu Yongming.