Beijing, January 20: Alibaba founder Jack Ma has resurfaced after months of speculations about his whereabouts. According to reports, he met with 100 rural teachers from across the country via video link on Wednesday. “We’ll meet again after the epidemic is over,” he said to them.
Tianmu News, a news portal under Zhejiang Online, a government-backed news website, reported the meeting on Wednesday. 'Jack Ma is Not Missing, But Lying Low For Time Being', Says Report After Speculation About Alibaba Founder's Whereabouts.
Jack Ma had kept out of public view since early November, when Chinese regulators torpedoed Ant’s $35 billion IPO, tightened fintech regulations, then ordered an overhaul of Ant and launched a separate antitrust probe into Alibaba -- all in a span of days.
Jack Ma emerges in front of the public:
#Alibaba founder Jack Ma Yun @JackMa, the English teacher turned entrepreneur, met with 100 rural teachers from across the country via video link on Wednesday. “We’ll meet again after the [COVID-19] epidemic is over,” he said to them: report pic.twitter.com/oj2JQqZGnI
— Global Times (@globaltimesnews) January 20, 2021
Earlier this month, CNBC’s David Faber reported that the billionaire was not missing, but was lying low for the time being. Ma had made a candid speech criticising China's financial regulators and the state-owned banks in October last year. Following which, the $37 billion initial public offerings of his company Ant Group was suspended by the authorities.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 20, 2021 10:31 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).