Alibaba Group was founded in 1999 by Jack Ma as an online business-to-business marketplace.
The original Alibaba.com service connected Chinese manufacturers with overseas buyers. The group later expanded into consumer e-commerce through Taobao and Tmall, payments through Alipay’s former corporate structure, cloud computing, logistics, entertainment, and other digital services.
Alibaba Group listed shares on the New York Stock Exchange in 2014 in what was then the world’s largest initial public offering. Its market capitalization reflects a diversified digital ecosystem rather than only one shopping website. Alibaba is often confused with Alipay, which became part of Ant Group after a corporate restructuring.