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The Tao of Alibaba

Now available in Hardcover, EBook & Audiobook
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From long-time Alibaba executive and former special assistant to Jack Ma, this is the first book to articulate how Alibaba's unique culture and "taichi" management principles are providing a business and economic development model for the rest of the world.

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The Tao of Alibaba book
Hachette Book Group
Public Affairs

MEET BRIAN

                

Brian A. Wong

An entrepreneur and investor, with over 20 years of management experience in e-commerce and digital media.

As the Alibaba Group's 52nd employee, Brian served as Vice President of Global Initiatives, where he led the creation and management of international programs for governments, entrepreneurs and universities to demonstrate how e-commerce can promote inclusive development in emerging markets. During his 16-year tenure with the firm, Brian served as the Special Assistant to the Chairman for international affairs and Executive Director of the Alibaba Global Leadership Academy (AGLA), and led Alibaba.com's global sales and marketing operations.

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Speaking & EVENTS

                

Brian is available for keynote and other speaking engagements. Advisory services and team workshops can also be booked with Brian.

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Speaker

Thinkers50

LinkedIn Live with Brian Wong of the Alibaba Group

This year's #Thinkers50Radar member Brian A. Wong has contributed to the early globalization efforts of the Alibaba Group whilst working as the company's Chairman Jack Ma’s special assistant for international affairs...

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Speaker

ISEAS

Webinar on "The 'Tao' of China's Digital Economic Transformation and Lessons for Southeast Asia"

In this webinar, Mr Brian A. Wong – Managing Director of Seacliff Partners Limited and Founder and Chairman of RADII Media expounds on his views of the digital transformation in China and Southeast Asian countries, whereby he draws on his knowledge that is largely influenced by his first-hand professional experience working as Alibaba’s former executive.

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COMMONWEALTH CLUB OF CALIFORNIA

Brian Wong: The Tao of Alibaba

If you took the economic might of Amazon, and added the penetration of Facebook, the ubiquity of Google, and the cultural significance of YouTube, you might have something starting to resemble Alibaba.

Event Details

The Tao of Alibaba

                

The Tao of Alibaba book

The Tao of Alibaba is the first book of its kind, providing a management guide to entrepreneurs, business executives, and even policy makers. It offers an inside view into not just how the company's leadership team created the world's largest e-commerce business, but also how it pioneered a new economic development paradigm by creating an innovative digital economy for China and beyond.

This book reveals the "Tao" of Alibaba—the company’s “secret sauce”—a consciously cultivated ethos and spirit that distinguishes it from its Western counterparts. This Alibaba way has enabled the organization to weather tough times and persist toward a common mission. It is a blueprint of the company’s management philosophy, crystalized into the most important elements that have driven its success.

This window into Alibaba's soul provides useful lessons for public and private sector leaders seeking new models for inclusive and equitable economic transformation.

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The book shows leaders how they can steer their organization toward maximizing performance while at the same time having a real impact onthe world around them.
Arianna Huffington
Founder and CEO, Thrive Global
Brian Wong has masterfully laid out the blueprint for how Alibaba built a mission-driven organization that truly empowers its employees.
Esther Wojcicki
Leading American educator, author, and fabled “godmother of Silicon Valley”
An insider’s account of one of the world’s most important companies and a rare opportunity to see not only what makes Alibaba tick, but also how it helped change China.
Peter Cappelli
George W. Taylor Professor of Management, the Wharton School, and co-author of Fortune Makers
This should be required reading for business school! The Tao of Alibaba bridges east and west and provides a fresh alternative to western frameworks for leadership and company building.
Connie Chan
General Partner, Andreessen Horowitz
[Wong’s] insights… are invaluable to anyone interested in starting and scaling a tech business.
Geoffrey Garrett
Dean, Robert R. Dockson Dean’s Chair in Business Administration and professor of management and organization, USC Marshall School of Business
This book will teach entrepreneurs how to build a global business better than any MBA course ever could.
Dr. Parag Khanna
International bestselling author of The Future is Asian
Brian Wong has done an absolutely brilliant job of drawing out the special genius of Jack Ma and The Tao of Alibaba… an absolute must-read!
Kishore Mahbubani
Founding Dean of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, NUS, and author of Has China Won?
This book is a must-read for anyone looking for invaluable management insights on how to future-proof your company for the digital age.
R “Ray” Wang
Chairman of Constellation Research, Inc., and bestselling author of Disrupting Digital Business and Everyone Wants to Rule the World
A well-organized, well-written account of how Alibaba grew from a tiny startup to a corporate giant.
KIRKUS REVIEWS
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MEDIA

                

Bylines and Media Mentions

Brian is actively involved in a number of technology startups and high-level training initiatives aimed at sharing his experiences and passion for everything digital with like-minded people around the world.

ALL MEDIA
Apr 24, 2023
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Media
MARKETPLACE

Why global investors ask: Where’s Jack Ma?

In 1999, Ma created Alibaba.com along with 17 partners. The site helps connect small Chinese manufacturers to overseas businesses. Brian Wong from Palo Alto, California, was an Alibaba executive for almost two decades. He recalls the early days.
Apr 12, 2023
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Media
Nikkei Asia

Jack Ma's China homecoming heralds new era for Alibaba

When billionaire Jack Ma flew to Hangzhou on the morning of March 27, few could have predicted the domino chain of events that would shortly unfold...
Mar 31, 2023
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Media
Bloomberg Businessweek

Alibaba's restructuring, its implications and how it plays into the company's management ethos as per the Tao of Alibaba

Commentary starts at 9:30 mins. Brian Wong, entrepreneur and former Alibaba executive, discusses Alibaba’s plans to split its $220 billion empire into six business units. Brian is the author of The Tao of Alibaba: Inside the Chinese Digital Giant That Is Changing the World.
Feb 14, 2023
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Media
On Call with Insignia Ventures

Call #114: The Tao Of Alibaba In Action: Governance, Crisis Management, Leadership Hiring, ESG, And More With Brian Wong

At the turn of the millennium, a Chinese American still fresh into his career and working at the time for the San Francisco County made a fateful decision to fly to Hangzhou and become the first American to join a small company of around 50 other people to build a then little known business marketplace called Alibaba.com.

projects

                

Ventures and Inititatives

Brian is actively involved in a number of technology startups and high-level training initiatives aimed at sharing his experiences and passion for everything digital with like-minded people around the world.

ALL PROJECTS
2017 - present

RADII Media

RADII (rā’dē-ī’) is an independent platform of artists, writers and creators dedicated to sharing vibrant stories from the rarely explored sides of Chinese youth culture.

RADII Media
2018 - present

Alibaba Global Initiatives (AGI)

The AGI mission is to share the positive impact of the new business paradigm in promoting inclusive development and to inspire and empower entrepreneurs, youth and women.

Alibaba Global Initiatives (AGI)