Alibaba.com is the world's number one online marketplace for international and domestic China trade, according to Alexa.com as measured by user traffic. We provide an efficient, trusted platform connecting small and medium-sized buyers and suppliers from China and around the world. Our international marketplace (www.alibaba.com) focuses on global importers and exporters and our China marketplace (www.alibaba.com.cn) focuses on suppliers and buyers trading domestically in China. Together our marketplaces form a community of more than 24 million members from over 200 countries and regions, as of June 30, 2007. Alibaba.com is the flagship business of the Alibaba Group and one of the world's premier e-commerce brands. Alibaba's operational headquarters is based in Hangzhou in eastern China. We have field sales and marketing offices in more than 30 cities in China, Hong Kong, Switzerland and the United States. The company had more than 4,400 full-time employees as of June 30, 2007. History Milestones Our first online marketplace was launched as "Alibaba Online" in December 1998. Originally, the website operated as a bulletin board service for businesses to post buy and sell trade leads. In June 1999, our lead founder and chairman, Jack Ma, and 18 other founders formed our parent company, Alibaba Group, and in September 1999, our major operating subsidiary in China, Alibaba China, was established to carry on the business of operating our business-to-business marketplaces.