The Telegraph
Mystery surrounds the place where Chinese billionaire Jack Ma disappeared from his own TV show
Chinese billionaire Jack Ma, who was not seen in public for several weeks after criticizing China’s financial regulatory system, has now disappeared as a judge in a TV talent show he created. Mr. Mom was absent from “Africa’s Business Heroes” style “The Apprentice”, a show that gives emerging African entrepreneurs the chance to compete for a share of US $ 1.5 million (£ 1.1 million) in prize money. Mr. Mom would originally be part of the panel that judged on the business ideas of participants. But in the November final, he was replaced by a manager of Alibaba, the e-commerce company he founded. According to the Financial Times, his photo was also taken from the judges’ website and he was not left out in an advertising video, which also reported that the broadcast of the final was delayed until spring. The newspaper quoted a spokesman for Alibaba as saying that Mr. Mom can no longer be part of the judging panel due to the schedule conflict. One of China’s most successful entrepreneurs, it seems, Mr. Ma wronged his leaders after criticizing the country’s regulators and state-owned banks in late October. In a speech in Shanghai, he called for the reform of the regulatory system, which he says stifles innovation in the germ. About a week later, the Shanghai Stock Exchange ordered that an initial public offering from Ant Group, a financial technology firm founded by Mr Ma, be suspended for $ 37 billion. It is understood that Mr. Mom has not been seen in public since. In late December, Chinese authorities announced an investigation into Alibaba for alleged monopolistic behavior, and ordered Ant Group to restructure its operations to comply with regulatory guidelines. Chinese authorities are trying to tighten oversight of the country’s financial sector, but are also seen as the major influence of private technology giants. Mr. Mom is a popular figure in China, and one of the country’s most famous businessmen abroad. He was previously an English teacher and founded Alibaba in 1999, which became China’s largest online e-commerce company. He will retire as chairman of the company in 2019, but is still one of its largest shareholders.