Jack Ma not missing, but laying low for time being, says report

Chinese business magnate Jack Ma is not missing but is “laying low” at present after telling off Chinese government regulators, CNBC reported on Tuesday.

Alibaba founder Jack Ma’s absence from public view in the past two months, including missing the final episode of a TV show on which he was to appear as a judge, has fueled social media speculation over his whereabouts amid a Chinese regulatory clampdown on his sprawling business empire.

Add WION as a Preferred Source

China’s highest-profile entrepreneur had not appeared in a public setting since a late October forum in Shanghai where he blasted China’s regulatory system in a speech that put him on a collision course with officials, resulting in the suspension of a $37 billion IPO of Alibaba’s Ant Group fintech arm.

While news coverage of Ma’s absence from public view triggered speculation on Twitter, which is blocked in China, it was not a significant trending topic on social media in mainland China, where sensitive topics are subject to censorship.

(With inputs from agencies)