https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-56448688 BBC Homepage * Skip to content * Accessibility Help * BBC Account * Home * News * Sport * Reel * Worklife * Travel * Future * Culture * MenuMore Search * Home * News * Sport * Reel * Worklife * Travel * Future * Culture * Music * TV * Weather * Sounds Close menu BBC News Menu * Home * Coronavirus * Video * World * US & Canada * UK * Business * Tech * Science * Stories * Entertainment & Arts More * Health * In Pictures * Reality Check * World News TV * Newsbeat * Long Reads * Tech Why did Alibaba's Jack Ma disappear for three months? By Sam Peach BBC Radio Documentaries Unit Published 4 days ago Share close Share page Copy link About sharing Jack Maimage copyrightGetty Images image captionJack Ma - seen here at an Alibaba event - is estimated to be worth more than $50bn Jack Ma was about to become the richest man in China. In November 2020, on the eve of another commercial success, the outspoken billionaire suddenly went missing. Ma's company Alibaba has risen from an online store run from his apartment, to one of the world's largest tech giants. Today, it reaches nearly 800 million users with services including online shopping, cloud computing and artificial intelligence. The tech magnate is known for his flamboyant presence and publicity stunts. He's thrown parties for thousands of his employees and serenaded them with musical numbers like You Raise Me Up. His latest venture, Ant Group, commands the digital payment market in China through its Alipay mobile finance app. Controversial speech The company is aiming to revolutionise banking in China, shifting power away from traditional institutions. On 24 October in Shanghai, Ant Group was ready to launch the world's biggest initial public offering on the stock exchange. Alipayimage copyrightReuters image captionThe digital payments service Alipay is ubiquitous in China Ahead of this, Ma addressed an assembly of high-profile figures with a controversial speech that criticised the Chinese financial system. He was not seen in public again until late January. In the interim, there were rumours that he might have been placed under house arrest or otherwise detained. Some even questioned if he was still alive. Summoned from on high Ma's story is investigated as part of The Real Internet Giants, a new two-part series for BBC Radio 4, presented by entrepreneur Kathryn Parsons. The Alibaba founder had accused Chinese banks of operating with a "pawn-shop mentality". He had also claimed that the authorities were trying to "use the way to manage a railway station to manage an airport" when it came to regulating the new world of digital finance. These statements angered the banking establishment and reportedly reached the attention of President Xi Jinping. President Xiimage copyrightGetty Images image captionSome reports suggest President Xi personally intervened to block Alipay's share sale Soon Ma and his close colleagues were summoned for a meeting with the regulators, and Ant Group's flotation was halted in its tracks. Shares in Ma's companies fell, wiping nearly $76bn (PS54bn) off its value. After that meeting, Jack Ma was nowhere to be seen. 'Big surprise' "That day he apparently crossed the invisible red line for what can be said and done in Xi Jinping's China," says Christina Boutrup, a China analyst who has interviewed Ma in the past. "I believe it was a big surprise for him. He would never have crossed that line if he had known how bad it could go." Eventually, on 20 January 2021, Ma resurfaced in the form of a short video address for a charity event. He was subsequently spotted the following month playing golf on the Chinese tropical island of Hainan. "Apparently he just kept a very low profile, which was really the best thing he could do," says Ms Boutrup. Jack Maimage copyrightGetty Images image captionJack Ma appears to have fallen out of favour with the Chinese leadership Wider tech sector The Chinese government is currently reconsidering its approach to regulating the tech giants, launching an anti-monopoly investigation into Alibaba. And last week, one watchdog said it had fined 12 companies - including Tencent and Baidu - over 10 deals that it said violated anti-monopoly rules. This may signal an escalation of matters across the wider tech sector. China is facing increasing international scrutiny from the US and elsewhere over its human rights policies in Hong Kong and Xinjiang. The move to rein in the tech superpowers is seen by some as an effort to prioritise stability and control over commercial success. Tencentimage copyrightGetty Images image captionTencent is responsible for the "super-app" WeChat among many other tech products "There are [Communist] party committees there to remind the companies... that the party ultimately has power, even over powerful individuals like Jack Ma," says Samantha Hoffman, a researcher at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute. This control extends to secrecy, she says. "Not only is a company responsible to do what the party demands, but they also can't admit to doing that if they're asked." But others have suggested it is unfair to judge China's tech giants on the same basis as those from developed countries. Kathryn Parsons image captionEntrepreneur Kathryn Parsons is the host of the BBC's two-part documentary series The Real Internet Giants The Real Internet Giants can be listened to and downloaded from BBC Sounds. The first episode about China is already online, and the second episode about Russia will be made available after being broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on 23 March 2021. Related Topics * Jack Ma * China * Alibaba * Apps More on this story * China's tech giants fall under regulator's pressure Published 16 March * Boss of Ant Group steps down in restructuring Published 12 March * Alibaba revenues soar but Ant Group float uncertain Published 3 February * Jack Ma makes first appearance since October Published 20 January Top Stories * India temporarily halts exports of AstraZeneca jab The doses are needed for the country's own rollout amid a rise in cases, officials tell the BBC. 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