Jack Ma's low profile sparks online speculation

Billionaire Chinese tech entrepreneur Jack Ma has vanished from public life after being rebuked by regulators in the Communist country.

The high-profile executive has not been seen in public since Chinese officials forced the cancellation of his finance firm Ant Group's blockbuster float in November. The $35bn (£25.7bn) listing would have been the largest in history.

Mr Ma dropped out of the final episode of the television show Africa’s Business Heroes in which he was due to be a judge. Photographs of him have also been removed from the show’s website.

An Alibaba spokesman reportedly said that Mr Ma’s absence from the show was due to a scheduling conflict.

Coverage of the billionaire's low profile has sparked thousands of tweets asking “Where is Jack Ma?”.

One Twitter user said: “I hope Jack Ma is just laying low on a private island somewhere because if his government can cancel him, the average citizen has no chance."

Mr Ma’s last public appearance was when he made a speech in October in which he criticised China’s regulatory system and attacked banks for operating under a "pawnshop mentality". The outburst reportedly led to authorities increasing their scrutiny of his business empire.

Despite the social media speculation over Mr Ma’s whereabouts, investors in Ant and his e-commerce empire Alibaba are said to be relieved over the 56-year-old's decision to pause his regular speeches and television appearances following the regulatory crackdown.

One insider likened Mr Ma’s current period of silence to a similar incident in 2015 when the executive was forced to issue a public apology for “crazy” and “stupid” comments he made about Chinese e-commerce rival JD.com.

At the time, he took to Chinese social media site Weibo to make amends after calling JD.com a “tragedy”. Mr Ma wrote: “I'm deeply sorry for the senseless troubles caused."

Abishur Prakash of consultancy Center for Innovating the Future said: “Jack Ma is likely taking time away from the spotlight to gauge his options.

“With the Chinese government going after large technology firms, Mr Ma is in a challenging situation. But remember, Jack Ma is more than just an individual. His name has become a brand that represents the ‘new China’, Now, with his firms under fire, silence may be the most strategic choice.”

An Alibaba spokesman did not respond to a request for comment.

Shares closed down 2.1pc in Hong Kong and were 3pc lower in New York.