HANGZHOU (NYTIMES) – For years, as Alibaba turned from a scrappy Chinese start-up into an e-commerce behemoth, some of its business units welcomed new employees with an ice-breaking ceremony that alarmed many of those who endured it. Fresh hires were required to answer deeply personal questions in front of their colleagues, according to former employees: about their first loves, their first kiss and their first sexual encounters. The questions were phrased in ways that are not printable in a newspaper, they said. The Chinese technology giant has denied such claims. But a week ago, a female employee alleged on the…