Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Jack Ma steps out from the shadows with morale-boosting post

reuters.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

131–140 of 204 posts

Re: Jack Ma steps out from the shadows with morale-boosting post

#131

Post by eunos »

amou234 wrote: post #74
throwaway4good wrote: post #10

I was listening to Nicolai Tangen's interview with Alibaba co-founder Joe Tsai: https://www.nbim.no/en/publications/podcast/alibaba-co-found... Alibaba co-founder and Chair: China, Jack Ma, AI and basketball And while smart and sympathetic, I cannot help to think that Alibaba is a company of the past belonging to a time of a certain US-China order that is no more. The future of Chinese tech belongs to companies that…

> The future of Chinese tech belongs to companies that are much more fast moving Not at all. The future of Chinese tech is state owned enterprises [1]. Just like other Chinese industries, such as state owned real estates [2] or state run communal restaurants [3]. Just like Soviet Union, before it fell. "The Peterson Institute for International Economics analyzed the market capitalization of China's top 100 companies.…

Uhh what? Non SOE BYD kicks the buts of SOE carmakers (FAW SAIC BAIC etc).

Re: Jack Ma steps out from the shadows with morale-boosting post

#132

Post by eunos »

logicchains wrote: post #117
winrid wrote: post #109

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Jack Ma didn't just try to build wealth like your average mid sized software or HVAC company. He built a monopoly and the company was fined for it and eventually broken up [0]. He obviously didn't like this and left the country to do billionaire things. To me there's nothing 1984 or dystopian about this. The guy was building a company that was hurting the people. If anything we need more of this in the US. [0] https:…

It was only a harmful monopoly if you take the Chinese communist party's word at face value, which is a pretty naive thing to do.

Good thing Lehman bros and Enron already gone by now, else they'd be lionized as "dynamic and forward thinking" compared to "sclerotic" party

Re: Jack Ma steps out from the shadows with morale-boosting post

#133

Post by com »

amou234 wrote: post #104
kiba wrote: post #93

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is just an anecdote but I have seen talks where the Chinese look at the silicon valley grind culture of long working hours and sacrifice and think how can these people be so lazy? Working long hours isn't necessarily efficient.

Exactly. The OP didn't know any English teachers in China, or else they can verify that Chinese workers in private enterprises nap on the job/play on their phone/waste a ton of time, to get through the long working hours.

Interestingly I’ve heard this observation about American managers in US multinational businesses in Europe, that they seem to performatively do the long hours, for the sake of their own managers view of them, but that little of it is actual productive time.

I’ve not really observed it myself, and I’d suspect that part of it might be very different styles or ways of working. But maybe there’s a grain of truth there.

Re: Jack Ma steps out from the shadows with morale-boosting post

#134

Post by professor_x »

_xnmw wrote: post #123
roenxi wrote: post #2

Just going by appearances, the story at the time looked a lot like Jack Ma fleeing the country for a bit. One minute he was disturbing the tranquillity in China then the next he was picking up some Zen among the cherry blossoms. It is interesting to compare-and-contrast Jack Ma and Elon Musk who seems to me the nearest analogue in the US. How their host countries treat them says a lot about the real cultural differen…

I'm not sure it is safe to build wealth anywhere, anymore, although the US is the country I chose to register my company in, because it is probably the safest. Still, I have my reservations. Petty theft like shoplifting is being increasingly normalized and justified in the US (see train package theft), and enforcement of property law is slipping, see how home owners can lose their home to "squatting". This is a very…

Safe relative to what?

Being a Venetian banker or Chinese tea exporter wasnt that safe. What about prospecting for gold in Colorado river valleys where bears hang out? Moving trains of camels thru the Sahara? Chasing whales around for years at a time without going home.

Today is way better.

Re: Jack Ma steps out from the shadows with morale-boosting post

#135

Post by redserk »

amou234 wrote: post #112
rtpg wrote: post #111

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Aren't you presenting a false dichotomy here? Perhaps they are having their cake and eating it too, so to speak. Not to comment on the supposed economic malaise of the moment. Sometimes state-owned enterprises might be able to outperform a private structure!

It's a bit hilarious that there are attempts to convince people on a board for hackers and startup founders that state owned enterprises are great and amazing!!

Well, this is a forum where some degree of openmindedness is encouraged.

There have been far many more economic and capital systems on this rock than just American capitalism.

Re: Jack Ma steps out from the shadows with morale-boosting post

#136

Post by [deleted] »

amou234 wrote: post #112
rtpg wrote: post #111

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Aren't you presenting a false dichotomy here? Perhaps they are having their cake and eating it too, so to speak. Not to comment on the supposed economic malaise of the moment. Sometimes state-owned enterprises might be able to outperform a private structure!

It's a bit hilarious that there are attempts to convince people on a board for hackers and startup founders that state owned enterprises are great and amazing!!

[deleted]

Re: Jack Ma steps out from the shadows with morale-boosting post

#137

Post by Teever »

amou234 wrote: post #112
rtpg wrote: post #111

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Aren't you presenting a false dichotomy here? Perhaps they are having their cake and eating it too, so to speak. Not to comment on the supposed economic malaise of the moment. Sometimes state-owned enterprises might be able to outperform a private structure!

It's a bit hilarious that there are attempts to convince people on a board for hackers and startup founders that state owned enterprises are great and amazing!!

Believe it or not but not everyone shares your enthusiasm towards the idea of privatizing United States Postal Service.

Re: Jack Ma steps out from the shadows with morale-boosting post

#138

Post by refurb »

rtpg wrote: post #111
amou234 wrote: post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The future of Chinese tech belongs to companies that are much more fast moving Not at all. The future of Chinese tech is state owned enterprises [1]. Just like other Chinese industries, such as state owned real estates [2] or state run communal restaurants [3]. Just like Soviet Union, before it fell. "The Peterson Institute for International Economics analyzed the market capitalization of China's top 100 companies.…

Aren't you presenting a false dichotomy here? Perhaps they are having their cake and eating it too, so to speak. Not to comment on the supposed economic malaise of the moment. Sometimes state-owned enterprises might be able to outperform a private structure!

Considering the the stated goals of the Chinese government and past actions, I can’t see how anyone would consider the state owning a major share of a Chinese company to be either a net negative or neutral at best.

Re: Jack Ma steps out from the shadows with morale-boosting post

#139

Post by refurb »

Teever wrote: post #137
amou234 wrote: post #112

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's a bit hilarious that there are attempts to convince people on a board for hackers and startup founders that state owned enterprises are great and amazing!!

Believe it or not but not everyone shares your enthusiasm towards the idea of privatizing United States Postal Service.

The idea? It’s already a private corporation.

Re: Jack Ma steps out from the shadows with morale-boosting post

#140

Post by refurb »

nebula8804 wrote: post #77
amou234 wrote: post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The future of Chinese tech belongs to companies that are much more fast moving Not at all. The future of Chinese tech is state owned enterprises [1]. Just like other Chinese industries, such as state owned real estates [2] or state run communal restaurants [3]. Just like Soviet Union, before it fell. "The Peterson Institute for International Economics analyzed the market capitalization of China's top 100 companies.…

I don't know man, from the outside looking in it seems like despite this arrangement, the people doing the day to day work are fiercely competitive and they want it all. This is just an anecdote but I have seen talks where the Chinese look at the silicon valley grind culture of long working hours and sacrifice and think how can these people be so lazy? Maybe state ownership will collapse it all, maybe the coming demo…

From what I’ve seen the motivation of Chinese workers is the same as any worker - to make money.
Post reply on HN