Haute 100 SF: Jack Ma Places a Hiring Freeze on Alibaba

Alibaba’s CEO Jack Ma has grown weary that his company has grown too quickly. In efforts to improve the company’s efficiency, Ma has placed a hiring freeze on the company. The freeze extends to other company’s under Alibaba’s control. Ma believes the company’s current 30,000 employees should at this juncture be able to handle the company’s management.

Alibaba is of course Ma’s biggest Internet company processing 11 billion orders a year from 334 million active buyers. Ma will only hire a new employee when one quits or is fired: “The purpose is simple, we need to get into formation,” he says, “I think 30,000 people is efficient.”

Alibaba’s revenue growth is slowing in major market China. To combat, Alibaba is seeking to provide China greater access to American brands. Its revenues in other major market Russia, Brazil, and India.

Thomas Keller of The French Laundry partnered with cruise line Seabourn for a restaurant afloat the seas. The ship line has announced that Kellar will create menu items for its luxury liners and even develop a full restaurant called Seabourn Quest.

How much does Mark Zuckerberg work? Well, more than you, to say the least.

The Facebook founder said he spends between 50 and 60 hours a week doing actual office work, but if he’s considering all the facets of his work, then he literally spends all of his life working. “It depends on what you count as work,” says Zuckerberg, “I spend most of my time thinking about how to connect the world and serve our community better, but a lot of that time isn’t in our office or meeting with people or doing what you’d real call work.”

Zuckerberg told the Valley News that he sets personal challenges for himself that improve himself as a person and a CEO, like hunting all the meat that he eats. Zuckerberg strives to achieve a better work-life balance than most CEOs and it has helped him in life and attitude.