Alibaba's Jack Ma is 'delirious,' says real estate tycoon
Ma has upset some of the nation's wealthiest real estate tycoons by pledging to drive down the soaring price of housing with "the power of e-commerce".
Alibaba Group chairman Jack Ma Yun’s outspoken approach has not always made him friends among China’s average citizens, or the elite.
In the latest controversy the 48-year-old internet guru has upset some of the nation’s wealthiest real estate tycoons by pledging to drive down the soaring price of housing with “the power of e-commerce”.
Ironically, this follows Ma’s recent comments accusing tax-evading e-businesses of acting “immorally”.
Property tycoons – some among the country’s most influential microbloggers with millions of followers – meted out damning responses to Ma in a tit-for-tat verbal exchange online, with some describing the online entrepreneur as “delirious”.
Ma made his comments in a CCTV talk show, recorded on Sunday and scheduled to be aired on Friday, which were picked up by the media after transactions on Alibaba’s major retailing platforms – Taobao and Tmall – topped 35 billion yuan (HK$44.2 billion) on China’s biggest shopping day of the year on Monday.
“I don’t care so much about sales figures,” Ma said. “All I hope is to strike down the housing price with the help of the internet.”