In 1999, Jack Ma, a teacher, gathered 17 friends to start Alibaba in his apartment. ๐
They wanted to help small businesses sell their products on the internet. By 2003, they launched Taobao, a website for consumers to buy and sell directly. ๐
In 2014, Alibaba went public in the
United States, raising $25 billionโmaking it one of the biggest stock market debuts ever! ๐
Over time, Alibaba expanded, adding services like Alipay for secure payments, making it easier for people to shop online safely.