Alibaba founder Jack Ma has returned to mainland China after spending months abroad as China cracked down on the tech sector.
Ma was spotted at Yungu school in Hangzhou, the city where Alibaba is headquartered. Ma gave a talk on how teachers could provide an education to students in the age of artificial intelligence.
Ma disappeared from public view in late 2020 after making comments that appeared to criticize China’s financial regulator.
- In January 2021, social media was abuzz with speculation on Ma’s whereabouts after not being seen since October 2020.
- Some speculated he was under house arrest, or worse, after what appeared to be a fallout with the Chinese government.
- Ma’s disappearance coincided with China’s widespread crackdown on its tech sector.
- Ma’s fintech firm Ant Group was forced to postpone its highly anticipated public listing in Hong Kong and Shanghai.
- Alibaba was also hit with a $2.6B antitrust fine in April 2021.
- In the last year, Ma has been spotted traveling in Australia, Japan, Spain, and Thailand.
