Jack Ma, Alibaba Group founder and once one of China’s richest businessmen, has mostly disappeared from the public for about 2 years after criticizing China’s financial regulatory system.
According to the Financial Times reported on Tuesday, he has now resurfaced in Tokyo.
But keeping a very low profile since moving to the Japanese capital for about 6 months, and socializing mainly within several private members’ clubs.
Jack Ma was once a high-profile jet-setter who was the face of Chinese Big Tech. But he has been keeping to himself since October 2020, after giving a speech criticizing China’s financial regulatory system.
His words triggered the Chinese authorities, prompting intense regulatory scrutiny on his businesses, and a wider crackdown on technology companies in the country.
There has been intense speculation of Ma’s whereabouts since he vanished from the spotlight.
One of the most recent sightings of the billionaire was in July this 2022, when he visited Wageningen University & Research, the Dutch institution announced on its website.
Even though he’s been living in Tokyo for half a year, Ma has been keeping a low profile in the city and socializes mainly within several private members clubs and visits the countryside with his family.
He also has been making regular trips to the United States and tech-hub Israel as well, according to the media outlet.
Jack Ma is a Chinese business magnate, investor, and philanthropist. He is the founder and executive chairman of Alibaba Group, one of the world’s largest e-commerce businesses.
Jack Ma, who at his peak was worth about 61 billion dollars in October 2020, is now worth about 30.7 billion dollars, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
In 2014, he was ranked as the 30th most powerful person in the world by Forbes. He is also known for his innovative ideas, creative thinking and inspiring leadership as well as his strong commitment to philanthropy.
Jack Ma stepped down as the chairman of Alibaba in 2019. He still sits on the board of the Jack Ma foundation, which he founded.
He is an advocate of environmental protection and has been actively involved in a variety of charitable projects over the years.