Chinese billionaire Jack Ma’s absence from his own talent show was the latest chapter in the sequence of events following the fintech pioneer’s «pawn shop» speech in Shanghai three months ago.
The first to spot Jack Ma’s explicit absence from the public sphere was a «Financial Times» report which noted that he had missed an African talent show in November where he was part of the judging panel and his foundation funded the prize pool.
Although he was first quoted in a press release for saying that he looked forward to meeting the 10 finalists from «Africa’s Business Heroes», an Alibaba spokesperson subsequently said that he could not attend due to scheduling conflicts but did not provide details on his whereabouts.
Ma’s photo was also removed from the show’s website.
Last Words
Ma’s recent disappearance from the public has not been limited to just the physical but also the digital. His last Twitter post was on October 10 where he tagged Prince William regarding efforts to tackle environmental challenges.
Seven days later on October 17, he made his last post on Weibo (China’s equivalent of Twitter) featuring a specific comment he made at a recent forum where he called the 14 million newborns each year the nation’s «most precious resource», adding that the education they receive determines «how the world views China in the future, determines China’s position in the world, and also determines China’s relationship with the world».
Seven days later, he made his now infamous «pawn shop» speech in Shanghai.
Public Figure
Even before his criticism of Chinese authorities which eventually led to Ant's $35 billion IPO pullout as well as major restructuring and tighter scrutiny of his businesses, Ma was an outspoken individual with not only high-profiled but sometimes loud appearances.
Most notable was his Michael Jackson impersonation during an annual event with Alibaba employees in 2017.
Where is Ma?
It remains to be confirmed whether Ma has been detained by authorities, fled the country or is simply keeping a low profile.
Onlookers believe the former is unlikely due to its potential impact on Ma’s various interests and even the broader technology and private sector while a recent report also claimed that the mainland government had already advised him to stay in the country.
Within the financial sector, the most recent high profile detainment was that of Xiao Jianhua, billionaire and controller of the fallen Baoshang Bank, after he was reportedly abducted in 2017 from the Four Seasons Hotel in Hong Kong.
