Jack Ma sightings hint at bid to 'Make Alibaba Great Again'

Chinese tech giant Alibaba (9988) founder Jack Ma Yun has reportedly returned to the company’s campus after years out of the public eye and is now more directly involved in the business than at any time in the past five years, according to Bloomberg.

The report said signs of Ma’s influence are increasingly visible and coming into sharper focus, including a renewed push into artificial intelligence and a declaration of war by subsidy campaign worth up to 50 billion yuan (HK$54.65 billion) on e-commerce rivals JD.com (9618) and Meituan (3690).

Sources said a new internal slogan, “Make Alibaba Great Again,” has appeared on company notice boards, echoing US President Donald Trump’s campaign catchphrase.

Since 2023, Alibaba has been led by chairman Joseph Tsai Chung-Hsin and chief executive Eddie Wu Yongming.

The group has not commented on Ma’s involvement or in what capacity he may have returned.

In February, President Xi Jinping held a meeting with Ma and other prominent domestic entrepreneurs, signaling Beijing’s renewed support for the private sector – considered crucial to reviving the world’s second largest economy.

STAFF REPORTER