Alibaba Group Holdings is often called The Amazon of China. The company, which has grown into a global e-commerce, internet, and technology company, followed Amazon's example by expanding into businesses that broaden its base of supply hubs. It's also taken a cue from the FAANG technology companies by branching out into various apps and tech services. This growth is reflected in Alibaba's broad array of subsidiaries. So, it should come as no surprise that Alibaba has used major acquisitions as vehicles to broaden its footprint. We look at four of the most important acquisitions in more detail below.

History of Alibaba

Alibaba (BABA) was founded in 1999 by 18 people and led by a former English teacher named Jack Ma, who guided the company's meteoric growth for nearly two decades before stepping down as executive chair in September 2019. The early founders believed the internet would be a great leveler, enabling small businesses to leverage innovation and technology to grow and compete more effectively in domestic and international �🔯�markets.

Alibaba was born out of that vision and has since grown into a major global corporation. The company posted a net income of about $9.9 billion on roughly $130.4 billion of revenue during its 2024 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:fiscal year (FY), which ended on March 31, 2024. Alibaba's 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:market capitalization was $195.31 billion on Jan. 16, 2025.

Alibaba's diverse group of tech business lines includes:

• Online retail, such as mobile commerce site Taobao Marketplace and Tmall, a third-party online and mobile commerce platform for brands and retailers
• Online wholesale includes 1688.com and international marketplaces Alibaba.com and AliExpress
• Logistics services, such as 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:logistics data platform and global fulfillment network Cainiao Network
• Consumer services like on-demand delivery and local services platform Ele.me, and restaurant and services guide platform Koubei
• 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Cloud computing via Alibaba Cloud
• Financial services, such as Ant Group, and payment services platform Alipay
• AMAP, which is a mobile digital map that provides navigation and real-time traffic information

Now let's take a look at the four top companies owned by Alibaba.

Youku Tudou

• Type of Business: Multi-screen entertainment and media company
• Acquisition Price: $1.09 billion for a 16.5% stake; $4.4 billion for the remaining stake.
• Acquisition Date: May 2014 (16.5% stake); April 2016 (remaining stake)

Youku Todou is a Chinese multi-screen entertainment and media company that was founded in 2003. In 2014, Alibaba purchased $1.1 billion of Class A 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:ordinary shares of Youku, which represented a 16.5% equity interest. At the same time, Yunfeng Fund invested $132 million for an approximately 2% equity interest. In April 2016, Alibaba completed the acquisition of Youku by purchasing all remaining issued and outstanding shares for $4.4 billion. Yunfeng Fund held on to its minority interest.

Youku enables users to search, view, and share high-quality video content quickly and easily across multiple devices. This helps Alibaba to generate additional revenue sources through advertising and membership subscriptions. The 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:acquisition appears to be an attempt to displace Netflix (NFLX) as the go-🐻to source for streaming TV and 🗹film content in China.

Alibaba Pictures Group (former🌠ly ChinaVision Media)

• Type of Business: Film company
• Acquisition Price: $804 million (controlling stake)
• Acquisition Date: June 2014

Alibaba first acquired a controlling interest in Alibaba Pictures Group, formerly known as ChinaVision Media, in June 2014. A financing transaction the following year led to the dilution of Alibaba's stake from a controlling to a minority interest. In March 2019, the company purchased newly issued shares of Alibaba Pictures, increasing its equity interest to about 51%. As such, Alibaba Pictures became a consolidated subsidiary of Alibaba.

Alibaba Pictures is an online integrated platform involved in a broad range of entertainment-related activities, including content production, promotion and distribution, IP licensing and integrated management, cinema ticketing, and data services. The acquisition demonstrates Alibaba's push into both the distribution and production of high-quality entertainment.

South China Morning Post

• Type of Business: English-language newspaper
• Acquisition Price: $266 million
• Acquisition Date: April 2016

The South China Morning Post is an English-language newspaper headquartered in Hong Kong and was founded in 1903. In April 2016, Alibaba acquired the media business of SCMP Group. The acquisition included the newspaper, the group's magazine, recruitment, outdoor media, events and conferences, education, and digital media businesses.

Lazada Group

• Type of Business: E-commerce platform
• Acquisition Price: $1.0 billion (54% stake)
• Acquisition Date: April 12, 2016

Lazada Group, an 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:e-commerce platform headquartered in Singapore, was founded in 2012. In April 2016, Alibaba purchased a 54% equity interest in Lazada worth about $1 billion. The 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:subsidiary offers merchants and brands a one-stop marketplace with access to consumers in six Southeast Asian countries (Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam). The goal is to reach 300 million customers by 2030. The deal will bolster Alibaba's e-commerce presence outside of China.

Alibaba 𒅌Diversity and Inclusiveness Transparency

As part of our effort to improve the aw🍃ar🌃eness of the importance of diversity in companies, we have highlighted the transparency of Alibaba’s commitment to diversity, inclusiveness, and social responsibility. The below chart illustrates how Alibaba reports the diversity of its management and workforce. This shows whether discloses data about the diversity of its board of directors, C-suite, general management, and employees overall, acros♌s a variety of metrics. We have indicated that𓃲 transparency with a ✔.

The Bottom Line

Alibaba is one of China's largest companies by market cap and revenue. But, what started as a China-focused company has turned into a global powerhouse that rivals the likes of Amazon. Like other large companies, Alibaba has used the power of acquisitions like it has with Youku Tudou, Alibaba Pictures, South China Morning Post, and Lazada Group to boost its position in the global market and into other spheres.