【1974 Archives】

You probably wouldn't see Tim Cook doing this anytime soon.

Jack Ma974 Archives Alibaba CEO and Asia's richest man, turned up at his company's 18th anniversary birthday bash dressed as Michael Jackson.

SEE ALSO: The guy who started DJI becomes Asia's youngest tech billionaire

He first rode onstage in a black motorcycle, before getting off and striking a number of poses, in a black and gold outfit similar to Jackson's iconic Dangerous World Tour suit.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

But because he was wearing a mask, the stadium of 40,000 Alibaba employees only broke into surprised applause when he stepped forward and took off the bejewelled accessory. What an entrance.

Watch the whole performance:

At the end of the opening sequence (which included Ma's deputies marching onstage in Beyoncé's "Formation" style) Ma put on a black helmet, and rode his motorcycle into a cage, which then hoisted him into the ceiling.

People watching the live stream of the party on Weibo were rapt.

Mashable Light Speed Want more out-of-this world tech, space and science stories? Sign up for Mashable's weekly Light Speed newsletter. By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

"Not bad, an admirable effort," said one.

"Okay, I'm applying for a job at Alibaba," another user commented.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Why Jack Ma is Asia's richest man

Alibaba is often referred to as China's Amazon, running the biggest B2B marketplace, as well as the consumer retail juggernaut, Taobao.

Remember that last year in November, Taobao sales on its Singles' Day shopping event (China's version of Black Friday) moved $14.3 billion in merchandise in 15 hours.

Consider that in comparison, Black Friday last year saw $4.45 billion in spending.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Riding high on Alibaba's success, Ma addressed the crowd, celebrating Alibaba's status as the world's sixth-largest company in terms of market capitalisation.

The company has 54,000 employees globally.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

---

Featured Video For You

---

You can now pay for your fried chicken with a smile because credit cards are so 2016

---

• Games
• Entertainment
• Shopping
• Digital Culture
• Deals
• Social Good
• Tech
• Science

• Get the official Atari 7800+ Console for 50% off
• Pokémon's new game lets you catch 'em all while you sleep
• Teen who hacked Apple told to use 'gifts for good rather than evil'
• IHOP annoys everyone again with another name change
• Turtle Beach Recon 50P gaming headset deal: 28% off
• The Talking Animal Cinematic Universe is real. Trust us.
• Fiona Apple's Christmas carol delivers a holiday message to Donald Trump
• Unicorn eyeliner is 2016's latest mythical beauty trend
• EV sales up 30 percent this year despite Tesla woes
• Watch a 96

• How to use the new QuickType keyboard in iOS 11
• 'American Vandal' star Tyler Alvarez explains Netflix hit
• How to clean up your iPhone storage in iOS 11
• Comic creator calls Trumpcare 'kryptonite' for the industry
• Teardown reveals just how similar the iPhone 8 is to the iPhone 7
• Pete Souza reminds us of when our president wasn't feuding with every pro sports league
• 'PUBG' developer doesn't like that Epic Games is making a battle royale game
• A year after Colin Kaepernick's first protest, his absence looms larger than ever
• Apple's High Sierra macOS is available for download right now
• I'm God and I completely forgot that I was supposed to end the world today

• Google's officially retiring Assistant
• 9 ways 'Game of Thrones' changed the way we talk
• 'The Last Watch' is a better ending than the 'Game of Thrones' finale
• These 'Little Black Mirror' mini
• The Baffler’s May Day Round Up
• FIFA 17's rainbow kit provokes 'gay propaganda' accusations in Russia
• 'PUBG' players arrested in India for playing game on their phones
• What models of diverse identities really think of the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show
• Barcelona Open 2025 livestream: Watch live tennis for free
• NASA captures an incredible photo of a rule

• NYT Connections hints and answers for May 1: Tips to solve 'Connections' #690.
• What to expect at WWDC 2019: Power features for everyone
• Facebook used as a platform to promote dog fighting, report finds
• How ‘Aladdin’ stacks up against a century of Hollywood stereotyping
• Dell S3422DWG Gaming Monitor deal: save $100 at Amazon
• FIFA 17's rainbow kit provokes 'gay propaganda' accusations in Russia
• 11 graduation stories that will make you glad you're done with school
• 'The Last Watch' is a better ending than the 'Game of Thrones' finale
• How to Remotely Sign Out of Gmail on Multiple Devices
• 12 roommate stories that'll make you wish you lived alone