The A100 initiative, powered by the Alibaba Operating System, will be a one-stop shop for businesses to access a comprehensive range of enterprise services in the digital era,” said Daniel Zhang, CEO of Alibaba Group. The shift from being only focused on e-commerce to becoming a technology companyThe creation of the Alibaba Operating System is a part of the company’s progression from an e-commerce provider to a global technology company. By offering third-parties A100, Alibaba ensures that efficiency and return on investment is possible to occur faster for partners as the technologies offered already been proven to leverage synergies between various parts of the Alibaba ecosystem. Alibaba will offer the Alibaba Operating System to companies of all sizes through the A100 program, which lets them choose from an exhaustive menu of services to enhance their business operations. By offering business partners the Alibaba Operating System, it builds deeper relationships between Alibaba and it's brand/business partners which lead to more trust, communication and mutual business success.

Source: Forbes January 11, 2019 15:16 UTC