How Alibaba Saved Weibo and Chinese Society (Maybe)

Jack Ma may have officially retired as Alibaba CEO, but he’s still the guy to talk to when it comes to all things Ali. This weekend at a tech event in California, Ma spoke a bit about Alibaba’s recent investment in an 18 percent share of Sina Weibo. And while there are strategic corporate reasons for the decision, I get the impression Ma is buying into Weibo to help society, too.

First of all, Ma clearly recognizes that some observers have been a little nervous about the e-commerce company’s step in to social media. After all, nobody wants to see Weibo turned into a glorified advertising platform, and Ma knows that. On the topic of how the services will be separated, he said:

If we turned Weibo into an e-commerce platform, we would be condemned by its users and also condemned by history […] We’re now 18 percent shareholders in Sina Weibo, so if Weibo is doing well that’s good for us. We want Weibo to do well before we discuss what it can give Alibaba. Weibo is Sina’s thing, but if [Sina] needs us to do something, we will support them. That’s the only way this cooperation can continue.

Alibaba didn’t invest in Weibo for no reason. “The investment in Weibo is an important step in Alibaba’s future development,” said Ma. He didn’t name any specific reasons; we can think of a few.

But at the same time, Ma seems to suggest that the investment is also designed to help what he sees as a valuable service that might be in trouble. He says Weibo has increased transparency in Chinese society, and that Alibaba wants to help it be healthier and more successful. It’s no secret that Sina has struggled to monetize Weibo effectively, and although Ma never suggests that Alibaba is the white knight swooping in to rescue a damsel in distress, it sometimes feels a little like that’s what happened.

Everyone — Jack Ma included — agrees that Sina Weibo has really changed China’s society (mostly for the better), and everyone knows it faces a threat in WeChat. Users likely would never have guessed that a partnership with Alibaba might be the thing that really lets Weibo flourish, but that could prove to be the case. In ten years, we may well believe that Jack Ma saved Weibo with the Alibaba investment, allowing the service to continue changing Chinese society.

(via Sina Tech)