Why Alibaba named its semiconductor company after the honey badger
‘A chip is small [like the honey badger], and we hope that such a small thing will produce great power,’ said Alibaba chief technology officer Jeff Zhang
Alibaba Group Holding is looking to make a splash in the semiconductor industry, and it is hoping to take after the honey badger – a small, fearless animal that is native to Africa, Southwest Asia and the Indian subcontinent, and known for its ability to kill cobras.
The Hangzhou-based e-commerce giant on Wednesday said it would establish a semiconductor subsidiary named after the honey badger, known as Pingtou Ge in China. Pingtou Ge, which translates to “flat head brother”, is the nickname given by Chinese internet users to the honey badger, as the animal looks like it has a flat-top haircut.
“Many people know that the honey badger is a legendary animal: it’s not afraid of anything and has skilful hunting techniques and great intelligence,” said Alibaba chief technology officer Jeff Zhang on Wednesday at the Alibaba Computing Conference in Hangzhou.
“Alibaba’s semiconductor company is new; we’re just starting out. And so we hope to learn from the spirit [of the honey badger].”
Zhang also said that Alibaba believes in “the power of small”, since the company wants to help millions of small companies around the world do business.