Alibaba.com Corp.’s headquarters in Hangzhou, China, looks like it was imported straight from Silicon Valley. Caf� tables and comfy sofas dot the reception area, just like at a Starbucks. Slabs of concrete and exposed pipes line the hallways. And twenty-somethings in jeans and T-shirts fill every nook and cranny, looking like they’ve stepped out of a Gap ad. It’s all so hip and high-tech — except for the tea ladies: elderly women in blue pajamas, armed with big metal kettles. Every few minutes they mill about the computer stations, filling teacups with a fresh supply of hot water.
These days China is full of Silicon Valley wannabes, but Alibaba is way ahead of the pack. In a headline-grabbing deal last August, the company acquired Yahoo Inc.’s China business (it now operates the Yahoo brand in China), plus a $1 billion investment from the venerable internet company. Now a $4 billion privately held concern, Alibaba is best known for its business auction site (the company claims to be the leading Web site for business-to-business trade in the world) and Taobao.com, a consumer auction site that’s giving eBay.com a run for its money in China.
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