Alibaba founder Jack Ma resurfaces after 3-month hiatus from public appearance

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By Ismail Auwal

The founder of Alibaba Group Jack Ma on Wednesday virtually spoke to a group of teachers making his first public appearance since October 24, according to AP news.

In the 50-second video, Ma, wearing a navy pullover, spoke from a room with grey walls, a large painting and floral arrangements. It was not clear where the room was.

“Jack Ma’s reappearance has given investors peace of mind after a lot of rumours, allowing them to pile into the stock which had been a laggard in the market,” said Steven Leung, sales director at brokerage UOB Kay Hian in Hong Kong.

The topic “Jack Ma makes his first public appearance” and his video address to the teachers soon began trending on China’s Twitter-like Weibo, triggering heavy discussions.

Although Ma has stepped down from corporate positions and earnings calls, he retains significant influence over Alibaba and Ant and promotes them globally at business and political events. He also continues to mentor management talent in the “Alibaba Partnership”, a 35-member group of company managers.

China has stepped up a regulatory crackdown on anticompetitive behaviour in the internet sector and Alibaba became the target of an antitrust investigation launched last month by Chinese authorities.

The company plans to raise at least $5 billion through the sale of a U.S. dollar-denominated bond this month.

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