Alibaba’s Jack Ma still ‘lying low’, but company has put last year’s regulatory storm behind it, executive vice-chairman says

In wide-ranging interview, Joseph Tsai says billionaire living a ‘normal life’ focused on hobbies and philanthropy after stepping down from chairmanship and CEO role two years ago

The top Alibaba executive also praises stability brought by Hong Kong’s national security law, saying he felt personally unsafe in the city as a Mandarin speaker during 2019’s anti-government protests

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Published: 1:52pm, 16 Jun 2021Updated: 7:06pm, 16 Jun 2021

Chinese billionaire Jack Ma of Alibaba is keeping a low profile and has taken up painting as a hobby, while the tech giant he co-founded has put last year’s regulatory troubles behind it, according to his close business partner Joseph Tsai.

In a wide-ranging interview with American media, Tsai said Ma was living a “normal life”, and also weighed in on Hong Kong’s national security law and global prospects for post-pandemic economic recovery.

“He is lying low right now,” Tsai, executive vice-chairman of Alibaba, which owns the South China Morning Post, said of Ma.

“I talk to him every day and message him through our internal messaging platform. He is actually doing very, very well. He has taken up painting as a hobby. It is pretty good.”

The formerly outspoken Ma has made only rare public appearances since criticising China’s financial regulatory system last October during the Bund Summit, an event attended by hundreds of bankers and regulators in Shanghai.

Tsai noted that Ma had already stepped down from his chairmanship and CEO role at Alibaba two years ago, and was now focused on hobbies and philanthropy.