Ma, the billionaire founder of tech giants Alibaba and Ant Group, hadn’t been seen since regulators blocked Ant’s record-breaking public offering in November.
Alibaba and Ant co-founder Jack Ma has resurfaced after months out of public view, dispelling intense speculation about the situation of the billionaire facing intense scrutiny over his Internet empire. .
The most renowned businessman in China addressed about twenty teachers at an online conference on Wednesday, as part of an annual event hosted by the billionaire to recognize the achievements of rural educators. His appearance, which was first reported on a local blog, was confirmed by people familiar with the matter.
Ma’s re-emergence may help stifle lingering rumors about her fate as Beijing investigates Ant Group Co.’s online funding investigations. and Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. , tightened fintech regulations, then ordered a review of Ant and launched a separate antitrust probe on Alibaba, all in a span of days.
The assault on Ma’s billion-dollar corporate empire encompasses a broader campaign to curb a generation of Chinese tech giants that Beijing now considers exercises too much control over the world’s No. 2 economy. The barrage of action against its twin companies drove home as Beijing has lost patience with the enormous power of its technology moguls, now perceived as a threat to the political and financial stability that most rewards President Xi Jinping. .