He started out his career as an English teacher.

Ma was born in 1964 in Hangzhou, China, a city with a population of 2.4 million people close to Shanghai, to parents who earned a living as professional ping tan performers (a traditional style of storytelling and ballad singing).

He got into arguments with classmates because he was bullied for his stature, but when it came to international tourists, he turned on the charm. He used to go to a neighborhood hotel every day to socialize and pick up English. In order to listen to the English program every day, he also purchased a radio.

Ma, who was then 13 years old, would get up at 5 in the morning, and ride his bike 45 minutes to the former Hangzhou Hotel, where he would speak to foreigners and give them free tours because he was so desperate to learn the language. He improved his English and gained knowledge of "Western people's system, ways, methods, and procedures" through this exercise. He eventually changed careers though, and now teaches English at a nearby institution, earning approximately $12 per month.

Ma eventually founded a translation business during China's export boom, which eventually brought him to the United States for the first time in 1995, when he learned about the Internet. His initial attempt at an online firm, China Pages, was eventually unsuccessful. According to The New York Times, Ma was forced into a joint venture with China Telecom and ultimately lost control of the business.