Alibaba Group is a Chinese multinational technology conglomerate specializing in e-commerce, retail, internet, and technology. It owns several major online platforms including Alibaba.com, Taobao, and Tmall. Alibaba.com is the flagship platform and world's largest B2B e-commerce platform, connecting millions of buyers and suppliers globally across over 40 product categories. The company was founded in 1999 by Jack Ma and 17 others and has since grown tremendously through strategic investments and its record-breaking IPO in 2014.