Alibaba founder Jack Ma is 'alive' and 'happy,' top exec says after China's tech crackdown

PARIS — Alibaba laminitis Jack Ma is "alive" and "happy," the Chinese e-commerce giant's president said Thursday, aft speculation continues astir the billionaire's activities pursuing Beijing's aggravated crackdown connected his tech empire.

"Well, archetypal of all, Jack is alive. He's well, he's happy. He's creative. He's thinking. He's teaching astatine a assemblage successful Tokyo, spending much clip successful China," Alibaba President Michael Evans said astatine the Viva Tech league successful Paris.

The comments were successful effect to a question astir Ma from Maurice Levy, the president of French advertizing radical Publicis. It underscored the continued involvement successful the billionaire's whereabouts aft helium and Alibaba became the people of an aggravated regulatory crackdown by Beijing.

That scrutiny began successful November 2020 erstwhile Ant Group, Alibaba's fiscal exertion affiliate besides founded by Ma, was forced by regulators to cancel its archetypal nationalist offering, which would person been the world's largest.

Alibaba was deed by a $2.8 cardinal antitrust good successful 2021. Meanwhile, China's exertion assemblage has had to conform to a slew of caller regularisation astir areas from contention to information privacy.

Ma was retired of nationalist presumption for a fewer months, sparking speculation helium had gone missing.