Alibaba vs Printify: Founders, CEOs and History
Alibaba was founded in 1999 by Jack Ma (Ma Yun), Joe Tsai (Tsai Chung-hsin) and is led by Eddie Wu. Printify was founded in 2015 by James Berdigans, Artis Kehris, Gatis Dukurs and is led by Alex Saltonstall.
Company facts
Founders
Alibaba
Jack Ma (Ma Yun)
Jack Ma (born Ma Yun on September 10, 1964) founded Alibaba in 1999, embarking on a journey that would reshape the modern Chinese economy.
Joe Tsai (Tsai Chung-hsin)
Joe Tsai served as Alibaba's Executive Vice Chairman from 2013 until 2023 and became Non-Executive Chairman following the retirement of Jack Ma. In September 2023 he was elevated to Chairman of the Board.
Printify
James Berdigans
James (Jānis) Berdigans co-founded Printify in 2015 and served as founder and CEO through the 2021 Series A, when he described the goal as moving e-commerce from mass manufacturing to on-demand production.
Artis Kehris
Artis Kehris co-founded Printify in 2015 alongside James Berdigans. Recognizing the massive logistical nightmare that e-commerce creators faced with holding inventory, he helped architect Printify's highly unique, decentralized platform model, connecting massi…
Gatis Dukurs
Gatis Dukurs co-founded Printify in 2015. As the Chief Technology Officer during the absolutely critical early years, he built the incredibly robust API infrastructure required to seamlessly route millions of custom orders from Shopify storefronts directly to…
CEOs and their tenures
Alibaba
- Jack Ma1999–2013
Founder and Chief Executive Officer
He stepped down as chief executive in May 2013 and remained executive chairman until 2019.
Source - Jonathan Lu2013–2015
Chief Executive Officer
The $25 billion offering was the largest IPO to that date. Daniel Zhang succeeded him in May 2015.
Source - Daniel Zhang (Zhang Yong)2015–2023
Former CEO and Chairman, Alibaba Group
Daniel Zhang served as Alibaba's CEO from 2015 to 2023, overseeing the company's growth from a primarily domestic e-commerce platform into a diversified technology conglomerate with global ambitions.
Source - Eddie Wu (Wu Yongming)2023–present
Chief Executive Officer, Alibaba Group
Eddie Wu was appointed CEO of Alibaba Group in September 2023, succeeding Daniel Zhang who had led the company since 2015.
Source
Printify
- James Berdigans2015–present
Co-Founder; former CEO and Executive Chairman
As Co-Founder and former CEO, he transformed Printify into a massive, highly aggressive 'marketplace' platform, directly attacking Printful's premium model by relentlessly competing on price and volume.
Source - Alex Saltonstall2024–present
CEO, FYUL (Printful and Printify)
Former Printful CEO named CEO of the merged company in November 2024; led the FYUL rebrand in 2025.
Source - Anastasija Oleinika2024–present
President and Head of Platform
Printify CEO before the merger; took on the President and Head of Platform role in the combined company.
Source
Timeline: Alibaba and Printify side by side
1999Alibaba
Alibaba.com Launched
Jack Ma and 17 co-founders launch Alibaba.com from a Hangzhou apartment with $60,000 in pooled savings, creating a B2B online marketplace connecting Chinese manufacturers with international buyers.
1999Alibaba
First Major Investment from SoftBank
Masayoshi Son invests $20 million in Alibaba in a meeting reportedly lasting five minutes, alongside $5 million from Goldman Sachs, providing survival capital through the imminent dot-com crash.
2001Alibaba
Gold Supplier Program Launch
Alibaba launches the Gold Supplier verified membership program at $3,000 per year, generating approximately $10 million in first-year revenue and proving the B2B marketplace model's commercial viability.
2003Alibaba
Taobao Launches to Challenge eBay
Alibaba secretly develops and launches Taobao, a consumer-to-consumer marketplace offered free to both buyers and sellers, directly targeting eBay's Chinese market position. Within three years, Taobao surpasses eBay's Chinese market share.
2004Alibaba
Alipay Escrow Service Created
Alibaba creates Alipay as a payment escrow solution for Taobao transactions, holding buyer funds until delivery confirmation before releasing payment to sellers solving the trust barrier that was limiting online commerce adoption.
2008Alibaba
Tmall (Taobao Mall) Launch
Alibaba launches a premium B2C marketplace initially called Taobao Mall (later rebranded Tmall), allowing established brands to operate official storefronts with higher trust credentials and enabling Alibaba to serve the premium consumer segment.
2009Alibaba
Alibaba Cloud Founded
Alibaba launches Alibaba Cloud (Aliyun) as a cloud computing business, a decade ahead of many enterprise adoption cycles, positioning it to become Asia Pacific's dominant cloud provider.
2011Alibaba
First Singles' Day Shopping Festival
Alibaba transforms the informal 'Singles' Day' celebration on November 11 into a promotional shopping event on Taobao and Tmall, generating ~$130 million (936 million yuan) in sales a figure that would grow more than 100-fold in subsequent years.
2014Alibaba
Record-Breaking NYSE IPO
Alibaba completes its initial public offering on the New York Stock Exchange on September 19, 2014, raising $25 billion the largest IPO in US stock market history at that time at a valuation of approximately $168 billion.
2015Printify
Printify founded in Riga
Artis Kehris, Gatis Dukurs and James Berdigans launch a print-on-demand marketplace.
2018Printify
$1M raised for US expansion
Funding used to grow in the United States.
2019Alibaba
Dual Listing on Hong Kong Stock Exchange
Alibaba completes a secondary listing on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, raising an additional $13 billion and broadening its investor base among Asian institutional and retail investors, reducing dependence on US capital markets.
2019Printify
$3M funding round
Additional capital to expand the custom printing marketplace.
2020Printify
HQ moves to Spīķeri, Riga; FT ranking
Named among Europe's fastest-growing companies by the Financial Times.
2021Alibaba
Record Antitrust Fine
Chinese regulators impose a 18.23 billion yuan ($2.8 billion USD) antitrust fine on Alibaba following a months-long investigation into its 'choose one from two' exclusivity practices at the time, the largest antitrust fine in Chinese regulatory history.
2021Printify
$45M Series A led by Index Ventures
H&M Group, Virgin Group and Dreamers VC join; headcount nears 500.
2023Alibaba
Six-Business-Unit Restructuring Announced
Alibaba announces its most significant organizational restructuring, dividing the company into six independent business units each with its own CEO and board: Taobao Tmall Group, Cloud Intelligence Group, Alibaba International Digital Commerce Group, Cainiao S…
2024Printify
Merger with Printful announced
Equal-partner merger announced November 5; Alex Saltonstall named CEO of the combined company.
2025Printify
Rebrand under FYUL umbrella
Printify, Printful and Snow Commerce grouped as FYUL; move to FYUL House in Riga begins.
Acquisitions
Alibaba
- Sun Art Retail Group (Auchan Retail China)2020$3.6B
- Ele.me2018$9.5B
- Trendyol (stake investment)2018$750M
- Lazada2016$1B
- Youku Tudou2016$3.7B
- AutoNavi Holdings Limited2014Undisclosed
Questions about Alibaba vs Printify
Who is the CEO of Alibaba Group Holding Limited and Printify?
Alibaba Group Holding Limited is led by Eddie Wu and Printify is led by Alex Saltonstall. Both serve as the top executive responsible for the company's strategy, operations, and financial performance.
When was Alibaba Group Holding Limited founded vs Printify?
Alibaba Group Holding Limited was founded in 1999 — 16 years before Printify, which was founded in 2015. Alibaba Group Holding Limited's longer operating history gives it a deeper track record but also potentially more institutional inertia compared to the younger Printify.
How many employees does Alibaba Group Holding Limited have compared to Printify?
Alibaba Group Holding Limited employs approximately 131,462 people, while Printify employs approximately 500. Alibaba Group Holding Limited has the larger workforce at 131,462 employees, compared to Printify's 500. A higher headcount does not necessarily imply greater efficiency — it often reflects differences in business model (e.g., manufacturing vs. software).
Where are Alibaba Group Holding Limited and Printify headquartered?
Alibaba Group Holding Limited is headquartered in China and Printify is headquartered in Latvia. Their different home markets mean they may face different regulatory frameworks, tax regimes, and currency exposure.
Who founded Alibaba Group Holding Limited and Printify?
Alibaba Group Holding Limited was founded by Jack Ma (Ma Yun), Joe Tsai (Tsai Chung-hsin). Printify was founded by James Berdigans, Artis Kehris, Gatis Dukurs.
Which company has a longer operating history — Alibaba Group Holding Limited or Printify?
Alibaba Group Holding Limited has been operating for approximately 27 years, making it the more established of the two companies. Printify has been in operation for around 11 years. A longer operating history often signals greater institutional resilience and brand recognition, though it can also mean slower adaptation to new market conditions.
Figures come from each company's filings and the sources linked beside them. Amounts reported in another currency are shown in US dollars at an approximate rate and marked with ~. Back to the Alibaba vs Printify overview