- There is continued interest in Alibaba founder Jack Ma's whereabouts after he and his empire were the target of an intense regulatory crackdown by the Chinese government.
- "Well, first of all, Jack is alive. He's well, he's happy. He's creative. He's thinking. He's teaching at a university in Tokyo, spending more time in China," Alibaba President Michael Evans said.
- Evans said Ma is still Alibaba's biggest shareholder and that shows the billionaire's commitment to the company.
PARIS — Alibaba founder Jack Ma is "alive" and "happy," the Chinese e-commerce giant's president said Thursday, after speculation continues about the billionaire's activities following Beijing's intense crackdown on his tech empire.
"Well, first of all, Jack is alive. He's well, he's happy. He's creative. He's thinking. He's teaching at a university in Tokyo, spending more time in China," Alibaba President Michael Evans said at the Viva Tech conference in Paris.
The comments were in response to a question about Ma from Maurice Levy, the chairman of French advertising group Publicis. It underscored the continued interest in the billionaire's whereabouts after he and Alibaba became the target of an intense regulatory crackdown by Beijing.
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That scrutiny began in November 2020 when Ant Group, Alibaba's financial technology affiliate also founded by Ma, was forced by regulators to cancel its initial public offering, which would have been the world's largest.
Alibaba was hit by a $2.8 billion antitrust fine in 2021. Meanwhile, China's technology sector has had to conform to a slew of new regulation around areas from competition to data privacy.
Ma was out of public view for a few months, sparking speculation he had gone missing.
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However, a source told CNBC in early 2021 that he was just lying low.
Later in 2021, Ma travelled to Europe and in 2022, he spent several months outside of China. He was spotted in his home country earlier this year, sparking discussion that scrutiny on Beijing's tech sector may be easing.
Analysts say China's crackdown on the domestic tech sector has calmed somewhat but Ma's whereabouts are often a topic of discussion.
Evans said Ma is still Alibaba's biggest shareholder, which shows the billionaire's commitment to the company.
"This is his company. So he cares ... as much about this company today, as he did when he started, and I expect that that will continue for as long as Alibaba and Jack Ma are here," Evans said.
