Jack Ma, the striking founder of the Chinese online shopping giant Alibaba, has not been seen in public for two months. It leads to the question of whether he is missing, partly fueled by his conflict with the Chinese government.
"The wildest rumors are circulating, also on Chinese social media. So far it has mainly been speculation," says China correspondent Sjoerd den Daas.
Ma last appeared in public in late October, according to Reuters news agency. He then gave a now-famous speech in Shanghai, in which he was very critical of the banking system in China. As a result, the IPO of its financial vehicle Ant Group, which provides payments and insurance, among other things, was postponed.
"Whether that is a reason to let one of China's most famous entrepreneurs disappear for a shorter or longer period of time is of course never clear, but so far it seems unlikely to me," says Den Daas.
"Double appointment"
The Financial Times reported last Friday that Ma was replaced as a jury member in the finals of a talent show for entrepreneurs in November. His photo disappeared from the program's webpage and he was no longer in a promotional video.
An Alibaba spokesperson tells Reuters that this was the result of a double appointment in Ma's agenda.
But Den Daas suspects that the billionaire is keeping a low profile during this phase, whether or not at the insistence of the authorities. Not only has Ant's IPO been postponed, but a competition investigation into Alibaba is now also underway.