4. Jack Ma named his company Alibaba because it's a world famous story

Jack Ma simply wanted a global and interesting name for his company and checked for test with passersby during his stay in the US. He concluded that because the name begins with A, his company would also appear on the top of lists.

Alibaba now has over 100 million buyers visiting and shopping at its websites every day, and has created 40 million jobs, directly or indirectly, in China.

Eight Alibaba Group's customers from China and the United States ring the opening bell at New York Stock Exchange ahead of trading debut of the company's shares on Sept 19, 2014. [Photo/IC]