Chinese Tech Giant Alibaba’s Big IPO

It may be the biggest Wall Street IPO in American history, and it’s not even an American company. We’ll look at China’s tech giant Alibaba going public in the U.S.A.

The Chinese Internet giant Alibaba dominates the vast e-commerce business of China.  Next week, Alibaba goes public in the USA.  On Wall Street.  It could be the biggest IPO in history.  Anywhere.  And with it, Alibaba announces not just a vast fortune, but global aspirations.   Its charismatic founder and chairman Jack Ma says he’s out to change the world.  China’s throw-weight on the Internet is soaring, jostling America’s big players to make room.  This hour, On Point:  More thunder out of China.  Alibaba makes its global debut.  And we’ll look at the latest from Apple.
- Tom Ashbrook

Telis Demos, staff writer for the Wall Street Journal. (@telisdemos)

Joel Backaler, associate vice president at Frontier Strategy Group, which advises businesses on emerging markets. Author of “China Goes West: Everything You Need to Know About Chinese Companies Going Global.” (@joelbackaler)

Heather Timmons, Asia correspondent for the online business journal Quartz. (@heathat)

Yahoo News: Alibaba is coming: meet the Chinese Internet giant that outsells Amazon - "Alibaba has grown rapidly by building a blend of Amazon and eBay that sells mainly Chinese-made goods at home and abroad. It already has more active buyers than both those American companies combined. In the future, as Asia’s consumer class balloons, Alibaba’s sites will grow by offering western-made goods to Chinese and other Asian shoppers, analysts predict."
Forbes: Will Alibaba Bring Big Fall For IPOs, Or Suck The Air Out Of The Market? - "With summer winding down and Labor Day in the rearview mirror, Alibaba Group is on the road pitching investors on its looming IPO, which looks likely to break records as the biggest in U.S. history."
Quartz: If Alibaba’s IPO is a winner, these companies may lose out - "Alibaba’s September 19 IPO is expected to raise about $21 billion for the company, make thousands of employees very wealthy, earn a small fortune for the six banks and numerous law firms who advised on the deal, and—bullish supporters say—ensure investors fat returns from China’s unstoppable love of online shopping. But who could lose out in the weeks and months after the company goes public?"

John Simons, technology and media editor for the Associated Press.