The business behind Alibaba: How China’s tech titan makes billions

From a Hangzhou startup to a global tech powerhouse, uncover the strategies that turned Alibaba into a multi-billion-dollar empire.

Alibaba’s 2014 IPO was the largest in tech history, raising $25 billion on its first day.

Since its founding in 1999 in Hangzhou, China, the company has grown from a small business-to-business marketplace to a global empire, spanning e-commerce, logistics, cloud, entertainment and AI.

According to Alibaba’s most recent annual report, it generated nearly 1 trillion yuan ($137 billion) in 2025.

In the first episode of “Built for Billions,” Arjun Kharpal explores how Alibaba earns its revenue, from the success of Taobao and Tmall, to its international expansion, merchant fees and cloud services.

Watch the video above for a deep dive into the business strategies that made Alibaba one of the most influential tech companies in the world.

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