Founder of Alibaba.com and billionaire, Jack Ma, was reported missing and under the surveillance of the Chinese government as he has not been in the public eye for nearly three months.
However, in recent updates, the businessman made his first reappearance in an online conference for rural teachers on Wednesday. In the video, Jack Ma shared how he’ll be spending more time in philanthropy, Bloomberg reported.
BREAKING: Alibaba founder Jack Ma, who had not been seen in public in nearly 3 months, appears on video, saying: "We’ll meet again after the epidemic is over" pic.twitter.com/aFQyDWB7wQ
— BNO News (@BNONews) January 20, 2021
“My colleagues and I have been studying and thinking. We need to work hard for rural revitalisation and common prosperity is the responsibility of our generation of businessmen.”
He also added that he hopes to meet everyone once the pandemic is over. Suspicions regarding his whereabouts rose when Ma did not appear as a jury member in the final episode of his reality television program, Africa’s Business Heroes. Instead, he was replaced by another Alibaba executive in a program that aired late last November. Jack Ma’s face was also been removed from the Alibaba website.
As of now, Ma’s standing with Beijing remains unclear. At a conference in Shanghai on 24 October, Ma publicly criticised Chinese regulators for stifling innovation by being too risk-averse. This statement is what Chinese tech observers suspect landed Ma’s business in trouble with the government.
Let us know what you think regarding the re-appearance of Jack Ma!
Also read: Jack Ma Reportedly Missing For Over 2 Months, Face Erased From Alibaba Website