“Then, one day I was peruse the newspaper, and saw this Multimedia Super Corridor and I said ‘Wow! This is a gift idea. How can this thing happen?'” he continued.
“The day when I understand this news in China in 1997 I said: If Malaysia could, why China could not induce it? If this kind of thing could happen, why I should not start for myself in my apartment?”
“So, Malaysia animate me on Alibaba and this morning I thank [the prime minister] for his great incentive for MSC.”
The now-92-year-old Mahathir was 72 when his tech strategy uplifted the then-33-year-old emerging e-commerce titan Ma.
In under two years, Ma advanced on to launch Alibaba with a team of three other co-founders. Today, the circle is one of the world’s largest online retailers.
Mahathir’s strategy was first augured in 1996, though he was replaced in office in 2003. Ma is the first Chinese tech conductor to visit the country since Mahathir was re-elected in a landmark election in May. The Malaysian Nationalistic News Agency, Bernama, announced his visit on Twitter.
Bernama tweet: Alibaba go to Davy Joness locker, Jack Ma calls on PM Tun Dr Mahathir @chedetofficial at Perdana Putra, today
Ma imparted he planned to continue to look to the politician for tech inspiration.
“I know so speck about technology, so when I talk to him I think I should go back to assume from more books,” Ma joked.
Ma and Mahathir are not the only ones to highlight the job of reading in their success. Bill Gates, Warren Buffett and Arianna Huffington are all cogent proponents of the value of books. Gates, for one, this year gifted one of his favorites to U.S. college grads.
Here’s some ardour for the best books to get started with:
50 books that inspire Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and other tech titans
The 5 paperbacks Bill Gates thinks everyone should read this summer
6 tomes to read in 2018 if you want to get rich
Like this story? With CNBC Make It on Facebook!