Alibaba was founded at the end of 1998, with its headquarters in Hong Kong, and has branches in Silicon Valley, London, and other places. As of May 2003, Alibaba has more than 800 employees worldwide. It is currently the world's largest online trading market and has become the world's first e-commerce website with 2.1 million merchants. It has been rated as the "most popular B2B website" by merchants. Alibaba has attracted attention from all walks of life for its outstanding achievements.

The first Director-General of the WTO, Sutherland, serves as an advisor to Alibaba. The US Department of Commerce, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan, the European Federation of Small and Medium Enterprises and other government and private institutions have recommended Alibaba to local companies.