Alibaba Group Holding chairman Joe Tsai said the company is now “on a very good path” after overcoming several years of setbacks, including regulatory crackdowns and geopolitical uncertainties. Speaking at the Beyond Expo in Macau, Tsai reflected on the challenges Alibaba faced over the past five years, such as fierce competition and increased government scrutiny. He noted that the convergence of regulatory pressure, geopolitical risks, and the Covid-19 pandemic around 2021 tested the company’s resilience.
Tsai emphasized that during those difficult times, Alibaba learned to focus on endurance, thinking about “living another day” to keep the opportunity to fight back. Today, he said, Alibaba is concentrating on its core businesses, including e-commerce, cloud computing, and integrating artificial intelligence (AI) throughout its operations for both internal use and customer services.
The co-founder, who alongside Jack Ma helped build Alibaba into a tech giant, described the current environment as a “new paradigm,” marked by unpredictable trade tensions and tariffs. Tsai underscored the importance of communication between business leaders and policymakers to foster understanding amid this uncertainty.
Alibaba has been undergoing a major restructuring over the past two years, streamlining its diverse businesses into six major groups while sharpening its focus on e-commerce, cloud, and AI. Tsai revealed that AI is viewed as the company’s key growth engine over the next three to five years, with significant investment underway. In February, Alibaba announced plans to invest 380 billion yuan (US$52.4 billion) in computing resources and AI infrastructure over the next three years to expand its technological capabilities and user base.
The company’s AI and cloud computing unit posted an 18 percent year-on-year revenue growth in the March quarter, its fastest pace since 2022. Overall, Alibaba’s total revenue rose 7 percent in the same quarter, marking its 11th consecutive quarter of growth.
Tsai also expressed skepticism about humanoid robots, questioning their practical use and raising concerns about their design. He pointed out that many smart robots don’t need to resemble humans and highlighted technological challenges, especially in spatial intelligence, that remain obstacles for humanoid robots to overcome.
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