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Golf course on Hainan:
Alibaba founder and technology entrepreneur
Jack Ma
was seen playing golf on the island
Photo: Zhe Ji / Getty Images
Where's
Jack Ma
?
Is he on vacation?
Is he under house arrest?
Or worse, maybe arrested?
Many have been asking themselves these questions since the founder of the Alibaba group disappeared from the public months ago.
In the meantime, it was rumored that Ma (56) was deliberately keeping a low profile, given the pressure that Beijing recently exerted on his group of companies.
Recently, a video appeared in which Ma promised to do more for charitable purposes in the future.
Now there is a new answer to the question of Jack Mas' whereabouts: He is golfing.
As reported by the Bloomberg news agency, Ma was spotted on a 27-hole golf course in the Chinese island province of Hainan.
Located on the southern tip of the island, the facility offers extensive greens and great views, according to the details.
Bloomberg evaluates the observation as further evidence that nothing bad has happened to Ma, such as possible arrest, imprisonment or the confiscation of his property.
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According to the news agency, another hint in this direction came a few days ago from
Masayoshi Son
(63), the head of tech investor Softbank and good friend Mas.
Son was in constant contact with Ma, he said when he presented his company's quarterly figures.
Ma likes to draw and share his designs with him via chat, says Son.
The fact that Jack Ma is golfing or drawing would hardly be worth reporting in normal times.
But since the Alibaba founder disappeared from the public at the end of October 2020, speculation about him has been growing wild.
Ma strongly criticized the Chinese regulators in a speech.
Subsequently, there was speculation about the disappearance of the Alibaba founder.
At the same time, the rulers took action against the Mas company and put massive pressure on the media in connection with reports on Jack Ma.
At the beginning of November, the authorities had also stopped the planned IPO of the Alibaba financial subsidiary Ant Group with reference to new rules.
It should have been the biggest IPO of all time.
Following a recent decision, the company is now being converted into a financial holding company.
In addition, Chinese authorities are now investigating Alibaba over monopoly charges.
So much trouble for Jack Ma - and possibly reason enough to keep a low profile for the time being.
In any case, Ma can obviously use his time on the golf course well.
According to the report, he is considered a beginner who can improve quite a bit of his swing with a little practice.
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