Alibaba Billionaire Jack Ma Steps Back Into Spotlight—But As A Teacher, Not A Tech Mogul

Topline

Jack Ma, the billionaire cofounder of e-commerce behemoth Alibaba and one of China’s wealthiest people, seems to be slowly returning to public view after years of lying low and avoiding the spotlight for irking Beijing’s political elite, though his rare appearances suggest he is returning to his roots as an educator rather than reclaiming his position as a titan of business.

Jack Ma has been largely absent from public view since crossing Chinese regulators in 2020.

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Key Facts

On Saturday, Ma attended the final round of a global mathematics competition organized by Alibaba in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou, where the internet giant is headquartered.

He reportedly spent time talking with competitors and teachers, according to a statement from Alibaba subsidiary Damo Academy, and discussed the “understanding of mathematics” with finalists.

The appearance follows Ma’s first lecture as a visiting professor at the University of Tokyo last Monday, when he was the featured speaker at a two-hour “innovation and entrepreneurship” seminar.

Tokyo University said the session, offered jointly with Tokyo College, focused on management philosophy and how students can achieve success in the future.

Ma’s talk—which attracted students from countries including Japan, China, India and Malaysia—drew on the billionaire’s “rich experience and pioneering knowledge of entrepreneurship and innovation,” the university added.

News Peg

Jack Ma is one of Asia’s most recognizable businessmen and was one of China’s most outspoken and ebullient billionaires when he all but vanished in 2020 after he criticized regulators and Beijing cracked down on big tech. Ma’s whereabouts—and wellbeing—have been a matter of intense speculation since and the billionaire has maintained an uncharacteristically low profile and stepped back from his business engagements. When he first disappeared from public view, many speculated he had been detained by authorities or was being punished by Beijing for his outspoken criticism. Later reports suggest he spent a significant time abroad—Ma was reportedly living in Tokyo for a while and was spotted in Thailand and Europe—and Ma reportedly returned to China in March, though it’s unclear whether he plans to stay or for how long.

Crucial Quote

Alibaba President Michael Evans addressed the still-swirling rumors surrounding the company’s most high profile figurehead at the Viva Tech conference in Paris last week, CNBC reported. “Well, first of all, Jack is alive. He’s well, he’s happy. He’s creative. He’s thinking,” Evans said. “He’s teaching at a university in Tokyo, spending more time in China,” he added. Evans said Ma remains Alibaba’s biggest shareholder, which he said shows he still cares deeply about the business. “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.

What To Watch For

While Ma appears to be slowly returning to public view, many of his engagements appear more to do with education than business. When returning to China in March, Ma reportedly visited a school in Hangzhou, where he spoke about the challenges artificial intelligence poses to education. Ma’s other public engagements and publicized roles are also related to education and are outside of mainland China. In addition to the visiting professorship at the University of Tokyo, Ma’s university appointments include visiting professorships at African Leadership University in Rwanda and Tel Aviv University in Israel and an honorary professorship at the University of Hong Kong.

Forbes Valuation

$24.4 billion. That’s how much Forbes estimates Ma is worth, according to our real time tracker, making him the 66th richest person in the world. Ma is a former English teacher and was once China’s richest person but he is now the seventh wealthiest Chinese national on Forbes’ billionaires list. Much of Ma’s fortune is linked to Alibaba, which he cofounded in 1999 and has since grown to become one of the world’s largest the e-commerce businesses. He also holds a stake in fintech behemoth Ant Group.