Zhang Yong: Courage From Taobao CFO To Alibaba CEO

He is vice president and chief financial officer of Shanda network.

At that time, Chen Tianqiao and Tang Jun, the founder of Shanda, were all the hottest figures in the Chinese business world.

At the age of 31, Chen was named "the richest man in China" by Forbes magazine. In 2014, Alibaba group became the richest man in China after the listing of Alibaba group in the United States, though he said more than once that he did not care about the title of "the richest man" and how rich he really was.

In 2004, he resigned from the position of president of Microsoft China and joined the grand Tang Jun. He was called the first professional manager in China by the media.

Zhang Yong's memory of "Xiaoyao Zi" is obscure when he is jokingly referred to as "being on CEO and going to the top of life".

In order to match the visitor, he began to work hard to recall, but still gave people a sense of nothing.

"I don't remember exactly when.

But it is certainly not May 6th. It should be advanced for some time. This is a big thing, so there must be a reasonable pitional period.

The scene seems to be in the company, where I have forgotten it.

It was when I talked to him alone (Ma Yun) on two occasions that he happened to chat about this.

Surely it wasn't me who told me to tell me about this. Anyway, just let it be.

That's it.

He has always been known for his rigorous and logical integrity. In his past conversations, there have never been so many "uncertain" expressions.

"Did he say anything to you when he told you about this?" Ma Yun said.

"It seems not."

"Have you done anything different from the past?"

"It seems not."

"We usually hope that there is a sense of ritual here. Actually, there is really no sense of ceremony."

Zhang Yong said.

His office is on the 6 floor of building 3, Alibaba group headquarters, Xixi.

This is the brain area of the largest Internet Co in China.

From the incumbent CEO Zhang Yong to the offices of Group executives including Lu Zhaoxi, Peng Lei, Shao Xiaofeng and Wang Shuai.

If you stay on this floor for a long time, you can see the most powerful people in China's Internet world.

Opposite to their office, the office area of the executive support team and a conference room, including the "bright summit" in the Alibaba report, appeared many times.

According to Zhang Yong, he calmly passed the time between Ma Yun and CEO, one of the world's largest Internet Co, and passed the appointment by the board of directors of Alibaba group in May 6th, as if nothing had happened.

But he knows he will be changed again.

Later, he made a joke with his consistent and calm tone: "my reaction seems to be calm, too.

He (Ma Yun) said that doing CEO needs to do a good job of going to hell. It's a hard work to do CEO.

So he pushed me to hell.

Lu Zhaoxi sent a message to Zhang Yong, saying he had confidence in Zhang Yong and believed that the new CEO could do better than he did.

In May 7th of 2015, Alibaba group issued an open letter to Ma Yun, announcing: "since May 10, 2015, Lu Zhaoxi will step down as CEO of Alibaba group and become vice chairman of the board of directors of the group."

Lu Zhaoxi, the third CEO member of Alibaba group, was born in 1972 and worked for 8 years in Alibaba, Zhang Yong.

This is the only ritual in the entire CEO change process, which is completely different from the scene when Ma Yun announced the pfer of CEO to Lu Zhaoxi two years ago.

In May 10, 2013, at the Huanglong stadium in Hangzhou, Alibaba employees, hundreds of media reporters and friends from the business community invited by Ma Yun watched the pfer of Ma Yun and Lu Zhaoxi's work together, and heard the speech master say: "I believe, I also urge all the figures to support me, support the new team, support Lu Zhaoxi, trust the new team and trust Lu Zhaoxi as trust me."

Thus, Zhang Yong, who was initially seen as a "professional manager" with a strong flavor of Alibaba Group executives, spent 8 years in his career and became CEO, a recognized Internet Co with a strong culture.

Even Ma Yun himself said, "to be ashamed, I used to say that I'm not afraid of CFO, but I'm afraid that CEO is the only thing that CFO does."

Zhang Yong said that when he learned that he would be the Alibaba CEO, he had no waves in his mind.

Later, Zhang Yong was always asked what different feelings he felt when he was working grandly and how he felt when he worked in the Alibaba.

After all, the two companies have attracted much attention in China's Internet world.

Chen Tianqiao and Ma Yun are both iconic personages in the business world. They will create infinite curiosity.

Zhang Yong's answer is "very different".

But for him, the difference is more of a change in his position.

"In Shanda, I am more typical in CFO. My job is more financial, including investment and investor relations.

But in Alibaba, the role is different.

Actually, I began to manage business slowly since 2008.

Zhang Yong said.

"This change reflects the difference between the two companies.

Ali is more diverse, and there is no strict rule on what CFO should do.

In other companies like me, it is impossible for me to do business.

Zhang Yong said.

This difference can even be felt by businesses.

Cao Yining, general manager of the UTC expert e-commerce department, which owns many international brand agents such as Swiss Army knife and Wenger, first heard the name "Xiaoyao Zi". It was a colleague who was alarmed to tell him that there was a Xiaoyao Zi who warned that UTC experts should turn off shop in Taobao mall.

Just started to do e-commerce, the rules of the Taobao is not clear, Cao Yining was shocked, asked who is the happy child, and what is to close our shop? My colleague replied: Xiaoyao is Taobao's CFO.

Cao Yining was even more surprised: did Taobao's CFO manage this?

Zhang Yong entered Taobao as an CFO, and for some time served as Taobao's COO.

But in the 8 years of the Alibaba, he is more connected with Alibaba's B2C business, that is, Taobao mall and Tmall.

When Ma and eighteen Luo Han founded the Alibaba,

It's B2B.

The Alibaba has built a network platform to help Chinese manufacturing enterprises display and sell their products to overseas buyers.

In 2003, Ma and his team decided to make Taobao, a C2C company.

This is touched by eBay.

In March 2003, eBay entered China through $30 million acquisition of 33% stake in eBay.

In April of that year, Ma began to organize a team to secretly prepare for the C2C project.

Later, he recalled: "if I don't take any action, 35 years later, when eBay enters the B2B market, it will have more money than we have, more resources than us, and stronger global brands than us. By that time, it would be a disaster for Alibaba."

Taobao beat eBay and became the largest C2C e-commerce company in China.

In 2006, Ma announced the end of the war with eBay. Taobao has occupied more than 70% of the market share.

Taobao's advantages continued to expand, and eBay also withdrew from the Chinese e-commerce market in a low profile.

But the layout of another e-commerce giant in China has been ignored.

In August 19, 2004, Amazon announced the acquisition of excellent network with us $75 million. The B2C e-commerce giant officially entered China.

Also in 2004, Liu Qiangdong, who had been selling electronic products in Zhongguancun, began to enter the field of electronic commerce.

Jingdong mall has become an e-commerce giant with a market value of more than 40 billion dollars today.

Alibaba has established absolute dominance in the market of e-commerce B2B and C2C.

The market of B2C is temporarily ignored by the Chinese e-commerce giant, so it has become the most concentrated area of e-commerce boom after 2004, including a number of companies including Jingdong, vip.com, jumei.com and No. 1 store.

Before Zhang Yong entered Alibaba, in 2006, including the then president of Taobao, Sun Tongyu and the senior vice president of company strategy, Zeng Ming, the company's top executives, at the Taobao strategy meeting, he said, "we judge the future development, and the B2C market will gradually enlarge."

Then Taobao launched a new project.

"

In 2007, Taobao network divided the whole website into three business departments: second-hand, market and shopping mall.

Wang Yulei, assistant president of Taobao and later president of the cat, painted the business map. (Qiao Feng)

However, Taobao's efforts on B2C have been twists and turns.

In April 2008, Taobao set up an independent business department, which was led by Huang Ruo, vice president of Taobao.

But only 6 months later, the division was disbanded.

This period is accompanied by the personnel changes of Taobao network itself.

In March 2008, Taobao President Sun Tongyu left Taobao, and Huang Ruo left at the end of the year.

It is Lu Zhaoxi who succeeded Sun Tongyu as president of Taobao.

Before that, Lu Zhaoxi was president of Alipay.

It seems that he has become the president of Taobao's image and spirit, but Taobao B2C business has fallen to the shoulders of Zhang Yong, who was originally Taobao CFO.

"Mall was founded in April 2008, but by the end of the year it didn't work well.

As the original leader left, the next team was also easy to disperse, leaving only more than 20 people.

Zhang Yong recalls.

At that time, he also served as Taobao's COO, and the two directors reporting to him were responsible for the business and operation of Taobao mall.

But first, "it's not good to do so"; second, "Taobao is too big to focus on" -- the company is experiencing a typical "innovator's dilemma", that is, the success of the original business hinders the growth of new business, because the original business attracts the vast majority of talents, resources and attention.

Zhang Yong said a sentence: "since father and mother (two directly responsible directors) do not feel bad, they can only do their own work by grandpa (COO)."

He decided to directly manage the B2C business in distress.

Later, Zhang Yong, who volunteered to be a Taobao mall, soon spread around the company, including Taobao merchants.

"It was very simple to do the mall at that time. It wasn't what I wanted to do, but I couldn't watch it die.

I don't think this business is going to die.

Why do I have to do it myself, because I firmly believe that B2C is a major trend in the future and a piece that Alibaba cannot lose.

Nobody cares, so I will manage it myself. "

Zhang Yong said.

He took over in March 2009.

4 months later, the business department resumed its independent operation.

It was also in this year that Zhang Yong invented "double eleven".

Double eleven became the most important event of the Alibaba in the year. The public relations department of Alibaba will invite hundreds of journalists to witness the annual sales miracle. Ma Yun will invite his friends from all walks of life to participate in the joint venture.

Moreover, this day is also a shopping festival for all e-commerce companies and many offline shopping malls.

But for the first time to do double eleven, Zhang Yong just came out of a simple purpose: "it was the second year when Taobao mall was born. Many consumers do not know this brand. We want to let consumers remember Taobao mall through an event or event."

He and his colleagues picked out the time for November 11th as an activity, because the day between eleven and Christmas is an ideal time for promotion.

On the day of the double eleven, Zhang Yong, who was a double eleven commander, didn't even fly to Beijing on business in Hangzhou.

That year, the turnover of double eleven Taobao platform was 52 million.

Zhang Yong said that his mentality of doing Taobao mall and Tmall is an entrepreneurial mindset.

But he is building up inside the huge Taobao.

Because of this, "sometimes we will be proud to say that in a sense, the Tmall team is the most competitive group in the group, the most fighting team and the most powerful team."

Tmall marketing director spirit day said.

In the Taobao mall and Tmall era, Zhang Yong, director of human resources, worked with the same feeling: "Xiao Xiao is actually very influential in Taobao.

All the colleagues who worked with him had the feeling of fighting together.

Colleagues are willing to work with him and believe him very much.

And so did my colleagues: "today, you asked me to give my back to Zhang Yong, the director of public relations in the Tmall era."

Even if he had done it, I would have tried to kick him on both feet, and I would have scolded how you did it! "