Joe Tsai

Alibaba is back at the top of China’s tech sector. Joe Tsai, a longtime confidant of founder Jack Ma, returned to the company as its chairman in late 2023, following a tough few years at the company. Tsai and new CEO Eddie Wu bet big on AI; now, Alibaba’s Qwen open-source models are winning over developers and investors. Tsai also chairs the board of the South China Morning Post, Hong Kong’s leading English-language newspaper, which was purchased by Alibaba in 2015. With his wife, Clara Wu Tsai, Tsai owns the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets and the WNBA’s New York Liberty, which won that league’s championship in 2024.