Global Courant
Alibaba founder Jack Ma is “happy,” said company president Michael Evans. The comments come as speculation about the billionaire’s activities continues following China’s crackdown on Ma’s empire.
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PARIS — alibaba founder Jack Ma is “alive” and “happy,” the Chinese e-commerce giant’s president said Thursday, after speculation continued about the billionaire’s activities following Beijing’s intense crackdown on his tech empire.
“Well, first of all, Jack is alive. He’s fine, he’s happy. He’s creative. He’s thinking. He teaches at a university in Tokyo and spends more time in China,” Alibaba president Michael Evans said. the Viva Tech conference in Paris. .
The comments were in response to a question about Ma from Maurice Levy, the president of the French advertising group Publicis. It underlined continued interest in the billionaire’s whereabouts after he and Alibaba became the target of intensive regulatory action by Beijing.
He cares about this business as much today as he did when he started, and I expect that to continue as long as Alibaba and Jack Ma are here.
Michael Evans
Chairman, Alibaba
That investigation began in November 2020 when Ant Group, Alibaba’s financial technology affiliate, also founded by Ma, was forced by regulators to cancel its IPO, which would have been the largest in the world.
Alibaba was fined $2.8 billion in 2021. Meanwhile, China’s technology sector has had to conform to a slew of new regulations in areas from competition to data privacy.
Ma was out of public view for a few months, leading to speculation that he was missing.
Evans said Ma is still Alibaba’s largest shareholder, demonstrating the billionaire’s commitment to the company.
“This is his business. So he cares about this business as much today as he did when he started, and I expect that to continue as long as Alibaba and Jack Ma are here,” Evans said.
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