Jack Ma Wants to Help Young Entrepreneurs. Do Entrepreneurs on Taiwan?

Jack Ma Wants to Help Young Entrepreneurs. Do Entrepreneurs on Taiwan?
United Daily News editorial (Taipei, Taiwan, ROC)
A Translation
December 18, 2014

Executive Summary: The item that gathered the most attention during the "Cross-Strait Entrepreneurs Summit" held in Taipei had nothing to do with cross-Strait business cooperation and transformation. The item that gathered the most attention was Alibaba founder Jack Ma encouraging Taiwan entrepreneurs to pass the torch on to the younger generation. That, and his plan to establish a fund to assist young entrepreneurs on Taiwan. Jack Ma shone a spotlight on Taiwan society.  He expressed concern for the future of the younger generation. This is something many Taiwan entrepreneurs have probably never given a single thought.

Full Text Below:

The item that gathered the most attention during the "Cross-Strait Entrepreneurs Summit" held in Taipei had nothing to do with cross-Strait business cooperation and transformation. The item that gathered the most attention was Alibaba founder Jack Ma encouraging Taiwan entrepreneurs to pass the torch on to the younger generation. That, and his plan to establish a fund to assist young entrepreneurs on Taiwan. Jack Ma shone a spotlight on Taiwan society.  He expressed concern for the future of the younger generation. This is something many Taiwan entrepreneurs have probably never given a single thought.

When Ma asked entrepreneurs to pass the baton, he was speaking from the heart. Four years ago, when he visited  he shared his feelings. “There is no hope for Taiwan,” he said, “Seventy, eighty-year-olds are still talking about innovation. They don’t believe young people have the ability to innovate." At the time many concluded he merely lacked good manners. This time Ma once again harped on the matter. That was not surprising. Because sitting with him on the same stage was the same group of grizzled entrepreneurs. Four years have gone by but everything on Taiwan is just as it was before. The only difference is that Ma has become the richest man in Asia, and is no longer a nonentity.

To other entrepreneurs, Ma’s comments probably sounded harsh. But etiquette does not appear to be his concern. His concern is the future. "If you believe in the future,” Ma said, “you must believe in young people. If you believe in young people, you will believe that their future is bright." He looked down on MBAs. "I helped many people obtain MBAs. They started out smart. They came back dumb." He believes that the economics of the future must be "altruistic." It must pay attention to "sharing, transparency, and responsibility." He called upon entrepreneurs from both sides to establish a fund to help young people on Taiwan establish businesses on the Mainland, participate in exchanges, or study.

Leave aside the matter of whether the economy of the future must be based on “altruism." How many Taiwan entrepreneurs have ever thought about business in "altruistic" terms? How many people in positions of authority? If there are any, then why has the younger generation failed to break the curse of the 20K salary ceiling? If there are any, then why has the number of foreign workers in Taiwan surged from 300,000 to half a million over the past few years? Why do businesses still complain that the number is inadequate? If there are any, then why do Taiwan entrepreneurs threaten to flee whenever changes are made to Taiwan's fiscal policies? If there are any, then why do so many big name companies dump their industrial waste into the rivers and seas, and adulterate their foodstuffs with cheap artificial ingredients? Why do they use raw materials intended for industrial use or fertilizers?

The fact is, that without Ma’s speech, the "Cross-Strait Entrepreneurs Summit" would have been nothing more than a trendy bash at a country club where the wealthy eat, drink, and be merry, while flashing their wealth. In recent years, many fashionable EMBA university courses are merely opportunities for students to climb the corporate ladder, expand their network of contacts, gain other peoples’ blessings, or transfer money from other peoples’ pockets into their own.

Ma is different. He has bragging rights. Taobao is a success not because Ma invented a unique business model or was exceptionally proficient at marketing. It is a success because he created a free and open platform that allowed thousands of products, from trinkets to luxury goods, to be sold online to Mainland China's rural and urban populations, to unknown buyers thousands of miles away. These transactions have propped up the economies in countless villages throughout the Chinese mainland. This is the best way to understand Ma’s "economics of altruism."

Recently, the daughter of the CEO of Korean Air lost her temper and assaulted a cabin crew chief because she was unhappy with flight attendant service. She even demanded that the aircraft turn around and return to the airport. The incident revealed how arrogant wealthy tycoons can be. Meanwhile as a result of the "third party payment" issue, Home Network chairman Chan Hung-chi blasted Banking Association chairman Li Chi-chu. Li visited to the Mainland to investigate e-commerce. Chan said Li "sacrificed those nearby to rescue those afar." This shows how out of step the government's policies and perceptions are with those of the common man. As Ma noted, over the past 15 years Mainland China has undergone tremendous changes. Many new businesses and business models have emerged. By comparison, Taiwan's economy has stagnated because entrepreneurs are too conservative and government officials are too closed minded. On this point, we ought to be ashamed.

Jack Ma wants to establish a fund to help young entrepreneurs on Taiwan establish companies. Some people may feel uncomfortable about that. They may wonder when have younger entrepreneurs on Taiwan ever needed help from Mainland entrepreneurs to succeed? But step back and think. Remember what Ma said about "altruism." If the younger generation can share ideas, why should we care so much about political boundaries? Furthermore, if Mainland entrepreneurs can appreciate the wisdom and creativity of promising young people on Taiwan, why can’t Taiwan entrepreneurs? Have they realized the problem, but have not thought of a way to proceed? If that is the case, why not take advantage of the opportunity to practice what we preach?

Taiwan entrepreneurs, why not contribute to a "Youth Fund?" Why not allow people of all ages ensure that the younger generation on Taiwan has a future.

馬雲要幫年輕人創業，台灣企業家呢？
【聯合報╱社論】
2014.12.18 01:30 am

《兩岸企業家峰會》在台北舉行，會中最受矚目的話題，不是兩岸企業如何深化合作、推動轉型，而是阿里巴巴創辦人馬雲在會上鼓勵企業家交棒，並暢談自己計畫成立基金，鼓勵台灣年輕人創業。馬雲把目光投向社會，關注下一代的未來，這恐怕是許多企業家罕曾思及之處。

呼籲企業家交棒，馬雲應該是深有所感。四年前他來台訪問後，即曾發表感慨：「台灣沒希望了，七、八十歲的人還在談創新，不相信年輕人更會創新。」當時，許多人聽了只覺得他不懂禮貌。這次馬雲重彈此調，其實並不意外，因為放眼看去和他同台並坐的，仍是同一批頭髮斑白的企業家。四年之隔，台灣依然一切如故；不同的是，馬雲已搖身變成亞洲首富，不再是吳下阿蒙。

馬雲的話聽在其他企業家耳裡，或許有些刺耳，但「禮貌」似乎不是他掛慮的事，他更關心的是未來：「如果你相信未來，就要相信年輕人；如果你相信年輕人，就會相信未來是美好的。」他看扁ＭＢＡ：「我送了很多人去上ＭＢＡ，本來很聰明，回來都變傻了。」他相信，未來的經濟一定是「利他主義」經濟，講究「分享、透明、擔當」。因此，他呼籲兩岸企業家共襄盛舉成立基金，幫助台灣年輕人到大陸創業、交流或學習。

撇開未來的經濟是否「利他主義」的命題不談，試問，有多少台灣企業家思考過企業經營裡的「利他」動機？政府部門的掌權者又有多少人有此思維？如果有，為什麼年輕世代的廿二Ｋ薪資魔咒多年來始終無法打破？如果有，為什麼幾年來台灣的外勞從卅萬激增到五十萬人，企業仍嫌不敷使用？如果有，為什麼台灣一有財經政策變動，就有企業家揚言要「出走」？如果有，為什麼還有那麼多知名企業摸黑向河海排放汙水，在食品裡胡亂添加廉價人工製劑，把工業用或肥料用原料做成人吃的黑心東西？

事實是，如果這場《兩岸企業家峰會》沒有馬雲的一席演說，它充其量就是兩岸「富人俱樂部」的一次聯歡大會，有錢人相聚一堂把酒言歡，相互炫富。或者，也就像近年大學裡最時髦的ＥＭＢＡ課程，許多學員只想趁機彼此攀結，擴大人脈，想著如何使別人為自己加持，如何把別人口袋裡的錢變到自己的口袋裡。

馬雲不同，他有驕傲的資格。「淘寶網」最大的成功，並不在馬雲發明了什麼獨特的營運模式，或者多麼精通行銷之道，而在他拉開了一個自由開放的平台，讓中國千千萬萬的農村與城鎮從小商品到奢侈貨都能在網路上架，賣給萬里之外的不知名買家；這種交易，撐起了中國無數村鎮人家的經濟。這點，也正是他的「利他主義」經濟的最佳詮釋。

最近，大韓航空會長之女趙顯娥因不滿空服員服務而大發雷霆，動手毆打座艙長，甚至要求飛機掉頭；由此事件，可以看出資本家之恃財而驕可以目中無人到什麼地步。與此同時，網家董事長詹宏志為「第三方支付」問題，痛批銀行公會理事長李紀珠要到大陸考察電子商務是「捨近求遠」，則可看出政府施政步調和觀念落後於民間到了多嚴重的地步。誠如馬雲所言，過去十五年中國發生了天翻地覆的變化，出現了許多新型企業和經營模式；而反觀台灣經濟，卻因企業家保守、政府思維封閉而變得停滯不前。這點，我們不該汗顏嗎？

對於馬雲宣稱要設基金幫助台灣年輕人創業，有些人可能會感到不快：曾幾何時，台灣年輕世代的問題竟需要大陸企業家插手幫忙了？但退一步想，回到「利他主義」的觀點，如果新世代的創意能夠供更多世人分享，為什麼要那麼在乎疆域之界？再進一步想，如果大陸企業家珍惜並看好台灣年輕人的智慧和創意，為什麼台灣企業家不能看到這點？或者，他們看到了這點，只是還沒想到著手的方式；果真如此的話，趁著這次的機遇和動力，大家是不是應該起而行了！

有心的企業家，今天就捐款成立「青年基金」吧！讓老中青三代好好一起想想如何創造台灣和下一代的未來。