--- title: "The Chinese Billionaire Jack Ma Has Disappeared" description: "Chinese billionaire and founder of e-commerce platform Alibaba Jack Ma has been unusually absent from public view for the last two months." date: "2021-01-05" modified: "2021-01-05" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/jack-ma-chinese-billionaire-disappeared" categories: - "Future Society" tags: - "antitrust" - "china" - "jack ma" - "the digest" --- # The Chinese Billionaire Jack Ma Has Disappeared ![Chinese billionaire and founder of e-commerce platform Alibaba Jack Ma has been unusually absent from public view for the last two months.]() *\Image: The Kremlin\* ## Without a Trace Chinese billionaire and founder of e-commerce platform Alibaba Jack Ma has been unusually absent from public view for the last two months, [*Reuters* reports](), causing speculation in the Western media about whether he's run afoul of the watchful eye of the Chinese Communist Party. Spurring speculation on social media, Ma didn't appear on a final episode of a TV show called "Africa's Business Heroes," for which he's a judge. An Alibaba spokeswoman told *Reuters* that his absence was due to a scheduling conflict earlier this week. Complicating matters, *CNBC*’s David Faber [reported this morning that Ma]() isn't actually missing and is "lying low" instead. Faber referred to an anonymous source who was "familiar with the matter," according to *CNBC*. ## Laying Low Still, it's been a long time since Ma was seen in public. His most recent public appearance was when he criticized China's regulatory system in a late October speech. "What we need is to build a healthy financial system, not systematic financial risks," he said during the speech, as [quoted by *CNN*](). "To innovate without risks is to kill innovation. There's no innovation without risks in the world." Following the speech, Chinese regulators [blocked]() an anticipated stock market listing of Alibaba's financial affiliate, Ant Group, at the last minute. The scale of Ant Group's plans cannot be understated. The company was set to debut the world's largest initial public offering. ## Antitrust Chinese regulators also believe Alibaba was exhibiting anti-competitive monopolistic behavior, following an [antitrust investigation]() launched by Chinese officials last month. China's government may be positioning itself to get a piece of Alibaba's pie, as [*The Wall Street Journal* reported]() late last month. While Ma stepped down as Alibaba's executive chairman in 2019, the billionaire still holds the largest amount of shares, totaling almost five percent, of the company. *Editor's note 1/5/2021: Added reporting by CNBC that cited an anonymous source saying that Ma is not missing but simply "lying low."* **READ MORE:** [Jack Ma's disappearing act fuels speculation about billionaire's whereabouts]() \[*Reuters*\] ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()