Advertisement

Alibaba founder Jack Ma urges young people to help solve both Hong Kong and global problems

Head of world’s largest e-commerce platform says at HKU ceremony that education in future should teach what machines cannot, such as creativity and imagination

Reading Time:2 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
Alibaba founder and executive chairman Jack Ma Yun (right) receiving an honorary doctorate at the University of Hong Kong in Pok Fu Lam. Photo: David Wong

Jack Ma, founder and executive chairman of e-commerce giant Alibaba Group, urged young people in the city to look beyond Hong Kong and think about how to solve global problems as he received an honorary doctoral degree from the University of Hong Kong on Friday.

“Real businesspeople make money by solving social problems for others,” Ma said after receiving the degree from HKU chancellor and Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor.

“Today, people say Hong Kong has a lot of problems. Any city has problems,” he said.

“People say Hong Kong’s young people have problems. Any young person has problems.”

Advertisement

He said he was confident Hong Kong would “solve these problems”.

Ma said that he had met Lam five times during the past six months, and that they had discussed young people, innovation and the city’s future.

Real businesspeople make money by solving social problems for others
Jack Ma Yun, Alibaba founder

He said the world’s future would be shaped by new technology, bringing challenges in almost all aspects of people’s lives, especially in education.

Advertisement
Select Voice
Choose your listening speed
Get through articles 2x faster
1.25x
250 WPM
Slow
Average
Fast
1.25x