In the old days, you might get an engraved pen and a pat on the back when retiring from a lifetime of working the same crummy job.

Over at Alibaba, and especially when it comes to co-founder and outgoing CEO Jack Ma, they like to do things a little differently.

That’s him above wearing a wig and playing the role of a rock star, in case you were wondering, but we’ll get to that later.

Unlike many South Africans, Ma will be financially secure in his retirement, with an estimated net worth of around $42 billion, so it’s no surprise that he was in fine spirits at his retirement party.

It was a small, intimate affair, with just the 60 000 people attending the four-hour party at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center, in an event that also doubled as Alibaba’s 20th-anniversary celebrations.

Here are some pictures, with information via Business Insider:

The event began with a parade of employees from Alibaba’s various divisions around the arena’s running track.

There was also a shape-shifting car…

I thought we were calling them ‘Transformers’ these days?

There were also people dressed as the company mascots…

The employees that watched on seemed suitably excited, although there was probably a team of people using facial recognition technology monitoring the crowd, with punishment dished out to anybody who didn’t toe the line.

This is China, after all.

Employees dressed up and performed songs and dances poking fun at Alibaba’s company culture.

The topics of the songs ranged from employees’ frequent travel to the staggering wealth employees have accumulated since Alibaba’s founding, according to The Journal. One group even reportedly sang part of Travie McCoy’s 2010 song “Billionaire.”

Sure, sounds completely normal.

Let’s get to the really good bits, like Ma performing Josh Groban’s You Raise Me Up with a group of senior executives on a portable stage.

You know when your boss cracks a kak joke, and you laugh because it’s polite? Imagine that in song form:

Wow, ain’t that something? Jack Ma is basically the David Brent of China.

Here’s Ma’s key quote from the day, according to Forbes:

“After today, I will start a new chapter of my life. As a person that loves liveliness as much as me, I would not want to retire and leave the playground at such a young age. I just want to switch to another universe to have fun,” Ma said.

His outgoing statements included a hope that his company would play a responsible and kind role in society, while the e-commerce firm, which is worth $460 million, adapted six new core values, including respecting the work-life balance of its staff. The announcement marks a contrast with previous remarks from Ma that employees need to embrace “996 culture,” which is shorthand for 12 hours a days, and a six-day workweek.

You want more singing? You got it, chief:

Jack Ma retires in style. Yesterday he picked up a guitar and a rock star wig to perform for his #Alibaba team one more time.

Love how Jack is having fun with it all. Business is truly all about your joy and your fun. That’s how I see it, too.

What’s your take? pic.twitter.com/0eQKe0qak8

— Ashley G Dudarenok (@AshleyDudarenok) September 11, 2019

Quite a lot to take in, there.

At least he didn’t play Wonderwall. That’s where you really have to be honest and say, boss, stop.

[sources:businsider&forbes]