老朋友古永锵谈阿里IPO：马云知道自己的极限

    总之，49岁的马云是中国身价最高的企业家。他持有阿里巴巴8.9%的股份，按票面价值计算至少值数十亿美元。而这只是涉及他本人以及他创办的公司的惊人数据中的一项。据分析师预测，IPO之后，阿里巴巴的市值将超过2,000亿美元。

    如今，作为开拓者的马云正在努力将慈善和环保这两种国外理念引进中国。污染和社会不平等都是中国的现实情况。

    上个月，马云与阿里巴巴联合创始人蔡崇信承诺成立慈善信托基金，估值约30亿美元。两人计划捐出阿里巴巴约2%的股份。马云表示，这个慈善信托将致力于医疗、环保和教育事业。阿里巴巴已经将公司年收入的0.3%用于2010年成立的公益基金。

    此外，马云还是美国环保组织大自然保护协会（The Nature Conservancy）全球董事会成员，同时还担任这个协会的中国区主席。大自然保护协会总裁马克•特瑟克表示，马云积极参与筹款，并在中国帮助建立了一块由私人资助占地27,000英亩的自然保护区。特瑟克称，马云妻子的一位家人患病，让他意识到了环保的重要性。马云怀疑亲人的病情与污染有关。

    特瑟克说：“有些商界领袖会有一点专横。但马云却对我们的事业表现出极大的尊重。”

    马云的老朋友古永锵表示，马云成功的秘诀在于他清楚自己的极限。他在身边召集了可以处理产品细节的人才，而他则负责制定战略。同样，他让阿里巴巴一直专注于电子商务。只是在最近才开始向其他领域扩张。

    “中国公司有一个习惯，总希望什么都做，” 古永锵说。“你必须搞多样化。但老实说，阿里巴巴前15年一直都专注于自己的核心业务。”（财富中文网）

    译者：刘进龙/汪皓

    In any case, Ma, 49, is among China's wealthiest entrepreneurs. He owns 8.9 percent of Alibaba and, on paper, at least, is worth several billion dollars. It's just one of the eye-popping numbers associated with Ma and the business he founded. Alibaba's market capitalization after the IPO will exceed $200 billion, according to many analysts.

    Still the pioneer, Ma, is now trying to bring philanthropy and environmentalism to China. Both are foreign ideas for the country, where pollution and social inequality are facts of life.

    Last month, Ma and Alibaba co-founder Joe Tsai, promised to set up charitable trusts potentially valued at around $3 billion. They plan to donate shares representing a nearly 2% stake in Alibaba. Ma said that his trust would be devoted to health care, the environment and education. Alibaba already contributes .3 percent of its annual revenue to its own foundation, which was established in 2010.

    Additionally, Ma sits on the global board of The Nature Conservancy, a U.S. environmental group, and also chairs its China program. Mark Tercek, The Nature Conservancy's chief executive, said Ma is very active in raising money and has helped to create a privately funded 27,000-acre nature reserve in China. Ma's environmental awakening came when a member of his wife's family fell ill, Tercek said. Ma suspected pollution played a role.

    "Sometimes biz leaders can be a little bossy," Tercek said. "He's shown great respect for what we've done."

    Koo, Ma's longtime acquaintance, said that Ma's success is his ability to know his limits. He surrounds himself with people who can handle the product details while he thinks up strategy. In the same vein, he kept Alibaba focused on e-commerce. Only recently has its focus wandered.

    "Chinese companies have a habit of wanting to do everything," Koo said. "You have to diversify. But literally, for the first 15 years, they stayed to their knitting."