Alibaba Employees Will Wear A Silly Shirt With An Inspirational Message For Its Historic IPO
Sep 19, 2014, 06:04 IST
Flickr/bfishadowAnother variation of Taobao's logo.Chinese internet giant Alibaba is about to hit the jackpot Friday with what would be the largest IPO in US stock market history. And its employees are celebrating it in style.
According to The Wall Street Journal, Alibaba employees were given T-shirts specially designed for Friday's IPO. The white shirts have the mascot of Taobao, Alibaba's online marketplace service, covered in colorful patterns, with what appears to be a dragon on its face.
But the real hook is the message emblazoned across the shirt. It says, "One has to have dreams," on the front, and "What if they come true?" on the back.
The shirt apparently came with a special letter, too, that seems to be an answer to the message on the shirt. "Fifteen years ago, when we quit and started the business, it looked like something totally unreliable. Buying stuff online? Are you dreaming? Fifteen years later, we have not only realized this dream, but also inspired more people with courage to have their own dreams," it read.
Alibaba also made sure to thank its employees in a separate card that said, "Thanks for being by our side. From this new starting point, we will move ahead together."
Alibaba priced its IPO at $68 per share, valuing the company at $167.8 billion. It is expected to raise a little less than $21.8 billion from Friday's IPO.