At the celebration of Alipay and Ant Group’s 20th anniversary, co-founder Jack Ma appeared on stage. This is remarkable because he disappeared from the radar long after criticizing the Chinese regulator.
Ma was speaking in Hangzhou, China, at the anniversary event for Ant Group, which he co-founded 20 years ago. ‘Today, I’m not here for the last 20 years of Ant, but for the next 20 years of Ant.’
According to Chinese news website 36kr, China’s most famous entrepreneur spoke about the future of AI. He mentioned that the Internet age has given his generation many opportunities. He sees even more opportunities for the current generation now that the AI age is here.
‘AI will change everything, but this does not mean that AI can decide everything’, he said, among other things. He clarified that technology is essential, but the future results depend on what we do with it today.
Invisible since 2021
But the most special thing about the celebration is that Ma appeared in public. Jack Ma was a Chinese tech entrepreneur who loved being in the spotlight. In 2015 he was on stage with Daniel Craig (in the role of James Bond), for an event around Singles Day (11-11).
That changed in October 2020, when Ma criticized Chinese regulators in a speech for slowing things down. After that, Ant Group’s IPO was suddenly halted, and more Chinese interference in the country’s tech sector followed.
Except for a video three months after the speech, Ma has largely remained under the radar since then. Ant Group itself has since undergone significant restructuring to comply with financial regulations. Last year, it was announced that Ma had given up control of Ant Group. He also announced his departure from Hupan University, a school he led. The school also changed its name afterwards.