Alibaba Group was founded in 1999 by Jack Ma and 17 other co-founders.
The company began in Hangzhou, China, as a business-to-business online marketplace intended to connect Chinese manufacturers with overseas buyers. Its first major website was Alibaba.com, which focused on international wholesale trade rather than direct consumer shopping.
Alibaba later expanded into consumer commerce through Taobao, launched in 2003, and Tmall, which was introduced as a platform for brands and retailers. These services helped make the group one of China’s most influential e-commerce companies.
The 1999 founding date refers to Alibaba Group’s origin, not the launch of Taobao or the date of its stock-market listing. Alibaba went public on the New York Stock Exchange in 2014.