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Jack Ma
TechBig Tech

Alibaba founder Jack Ma conducts first class as visiting professor at Japan’s University of Tokyo

  • Ma, 58, was the featured speaker on June 12 at a special ‘Innovation and Entrepreneurship’ seminar attended by an international group of students
  • The two-hour seminar was focused on management philosophy, based on Ma’s ‘rich experience’ in entrepreneurship and innovation

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Jack Ma, founder of Alibaba Group Holding, speaks at a seminar jointly organised by Tokyo College and the University of Tokyo’s Global Leadership Programme on June 12, 2023. Photo: Weibo
Tracy Quin Shanghai
Jack Ma, founder of e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding, conducted earlier this week his first class at the University of Tokyo in his new capacity as visiting professor at the prestigious, 146-year-old Japanese academic institution.

Ma, 58, served as the featured speaker on June 12 at a special “Innovation and Entrepreneurship” seminar, which was jointly organised by Tokyo College and the University of Tokyo’s Global Leadership Programme (GLP), according to a statement from the university on Friday.

The two-hour seminar was focused on management philosophy and how the younger generation can achieve success in the future, a theme based on Ma’s “rich experience and pioneering knowledge of entrepreneurship and innovation”, the statement said.

Those who attended the seminar included students from Japan, China, India and Malaysia. The students at the seminar “engaged in a meaningful discussion with Professor Ma”, the statement said.
Japan’s University of Tokyo was established on April 12, 1877. Photo: Shutterstock
Japan’s University of Tokyo was established on April 12, 1877. Photo: Shutterstock

The University of Tokyo’s GLP is an innovative, transdisciplinary four-year undergraduate programme launched by the school in April 2014. GLP is designed to equip the university’s students with competences and skills to act effectively as “change makers” on the global stage, according to the school.

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