Jack Ma, China's Richest Man, Says He Was Happier When He Wasn't A Billionaire

Jack Ma, the founder and executive chairman of Alibaba, became the richest man in China after Alibaba IPO'd for a record $25 billion last September.

But Ma was just as happy — perhaps even happier — when he was barely making any money right out of college.

After graduating in 1988, Ma worked as an English teacher at a local university in his hometown of Hangzhou, China. He only made $12 a month, according to the documentary about his life called "Crocodile in the Yangtze."

When speaking at a luncheon with the Economics Club of New York on Tuesday, Ma referred to this period as the "best life I had."

When you don't have much money, you know how to spend it, Ma explained. But once you become a billionaire, you have a lot of responsibility.

Jack Ma, the founder and executive chairman of Alibaba, became the richest man in China after Alibaba IPO'd for a record $25 billion last September.

But Ma was just as happy — perhaps even happier — when he was barely making any money right out of college.

After graduating in 1988, Ma worked as an English teacher at a local university in his hometown of Hangzhou, China. He only made $12 a month, according to the documentary about his life called "Crocodile in the Yangtze."

When speaking at a luncheon with the Economics Club of New York on Tuesday, Ma referred to this period as the "best life I had."

When you don't have much money, you know how to spend it, Ma explained. But once you become a billionaire, you have a lot of responsibility.