Tired of ads? Enjoy an ad-free experience by signing up.
  • Briefing
    Your roundup of Asian tech and startup news that matter
Doris Yu · · 1 min read

Alibaba founder Jack Ma is lying low, not missing, sources say

“After reports speculating about Alibaba founder Jack Ma’s whereabouts, CNBC’s David Faber reported Tuesday that the billionaire is not missing, according to a person familiar with the matter. Instead, Ma has been lying low for the time being,” reported CNBC.

“He’s not missing. […] what I can tell you is that he’s very likely in Hangzhou, where Alibaba is headquartered, and is being less visible purposefully, […] but that doesn’t mean that he’s missing,” said Faber.

Ma has not been seen in public in the past two months and also failed to appear as a judge on an African business TV show he created.

In November, Ant Group had its US$35 billion initial public offering halted, as Chinese regulators said it failed to meet the listing qualifications or disclosure requirements. Last month, the People’s Bank of China asked the fintech giant to return to its roots as a provider of payments services.

Meanwhile, Alibaba Group faced an antitrust investigation from Chinese regulators in December.

Most recently, Ant Group’s Alipay was named in an executive order by Donald Trump banning US transactions with eight Chinese software apps.

Edited by Collin Furtado and Jaclyn Teng

(And yes, we’re serious about ethics and transparency. More information here.)

Stay ahead in Asia’s tech landscape

You've reached your 2 free content limit for the month. Sign up for free to read the full story.

🏄 For casual readers / 👶 Free

Basic

US$0

Free forever

Get instant access to this article and more every month

0 premium content

Unlimited news briefs

5

5 articles

Ad-free reading experience

Just US$0 per day

⌛Sign up in 20s. No payment details needed.

📖 For learners / 👍 Starter

Lite

US$4.92/month

Billed annually at US$59/year

Get instant access to this article and more every month

4

4 premium content

Unlimited news briefs & articles

Ad-free reading experience

Just US$0.17 per day

Cancel anytime

Our subscriber community includes professionals from these companies:

Stay updated on the go with our mobile app.

Get latest insights with smoother, more personalized experience through TIA mobile app.

Community Writer

Doris Yu

Doris Yu is a finance and technology writer based in Hong Kong.