Alibaba founder Jack Ma is ‘lying low’, says company executive

Alibaba Group Holding founder Jack Ma is “lying low” and focusing on hobbies and philanthropy, the Chinese e-commerce giant’s executive vice-chairman and co-founder Joe Tsai told CNBC on Tuesday.

Following Ma’s criticism of China’s regulatory system last year, Beijing came down heavily on the company, leading to the shelving of financial affiliate Ant Group’s $37 billion initial public offering and an enforced restructuring of Ant. Ma, China’s best-known entrepreneur, has been largely out of public view since.

“He’s lying low right now. I talk to him every day,” Tsai said on CNBC’s Squawk Box show.

Ma, who was known for his outspokenness and for pushing boundaries with audacious statements, stepped down from Alibaba in 2019 but continued to loom large in the eyes of investors.