Experts argue that Jack Ma is 'being quiet' as to why he isn't showing up

by UN Women

Jack Ma , the founder of Alibaba Group , a major Chinese IT company, has not appeared in public from November 2020 until the time of writing the article, and reported that it was 'missing'. It has been. While several foreign media reports on Mr. Ma's movements, some experts have stated that 'Mr. Ma may not have disappeared, but may be quiet.'

Is Jack Ma missing? The rumors alone are a chilling message from Beijing | Fortune
https://fortune.com/2021/01/05/jack-ma-missing-alibaba/

Alibaba founder Jack Ma is lying low for the time being, but he's not missing
https://www.cnbc.com/2021/01/05/alibaba-founder-jack-ma-is-laying-low-for-the-time-being-not-missing.html

Mr. Ma is a savvy businessman who founded Alibaba Group and has grown into one of the world's leading IT companies, and is known for his candid speech to the Chinese authorities. At a meeting in Shanghai on October 24, 2020, Mr. Ma publicly criticized Chinese authorities for financial regulation, but the statement is believed to have exacerbated the conflict with Chinese authorities in November. The initial public offering (IPO) of Ant Group , a financial company under Alibaba Group, has been suspended due to pressure from Chinese authorities.

After this incident, Mr. Ma has disappeared from public for more than two months, including canceling the recording on the TV program he was appearing on. In January 2021, Mr. Ma's mysterious behavior was reported in overseas media, and it was rumored that 'the Chinese authorities may have something to do with Mr. Ma's disappearance.'

Alibaba founder Jack Ma disappears from public for more than two months, speculation that Chinese authorities are involved-GIGAZINE

by Paul Kagame

The series of moves has also led to speculation that Mr. Ma was detained by Chinese authorities, but Jeffrey Halley, an Asia-Pacific analyst at OANDA , which operates foreign exchange margin trading (FX) services, said 'There is no evidence that Mr. Ma was detained, and there is no reason for authorities to detain him,' he said. Mr. Ma has voluntarily chosen to 'be unobtrusive' until negotiations with Chinese authorities are finalized. CNBC analyst David Favor also said that Ma was 'quiet' rather than missing.

Meanwhile, Brock Silvers, chief investment officer at asset management firm Adamas Asset Management , said, 'In recent decades, Ma, who likes to get attention, hasn't disappeared for a long time. 'I did,' he said, claiming that Mr. Ma's behavior was clearly abnormal. If Chinese officials are involved in Mr. Ma's actions, he said it could have a negative impact on Alibaba Group, Ant Group, and the tech industry across China.

In connection with Mr. Ma's mysterious behavior, business magazine Fortune points out that 'it is not uncommon for Chinese authorities to detain management as'prioritizing their own interests over the interests of the state.'' In 2020 of real estate king, known as the 'activist entrepreneur', 'China's Trump' Ninkokorozashikyo Mr., On the new coronavirus corresponding Xi Jinping disappeared from the public after criticizing Jintao, after a few months corruption He was sentenced to 18 years in prison for such crimes .

The Wall Street Journal also reports that 'Chinese authorities are seeking sharing of consumer data owned by Ant Group,' in connection with Mr. Ma's move.

Chinese Regulators Try to Get Jack Ma's Ant Group to Share Consumer Data --WSJ
https://www.wsj.com/articles/chinese-regulators-try-to-get-jack-mas-ant-group-to-share-consumer-data-11609878816

Chinese regulators pressing Ma for Ant Group's consumer data --WSJ (NYSE: BABA) | Seeking Alpha
https://seekingalpha.com/news/3649072-chinese-regulators-pressing-ma-for-ant-groups-consumer-data-wsj

Since Ant Group operates the online financial payment service Alipay, it holds financial data such as consumer habits, borrowing behavior, invoices and loan payment history related to more than 1 billion consumers. I will. Chinese officials are considering options such as 'providing consumer data to a national credit reporting system' as part of a crackdown on Ant Group.