Alibaba founder Jack Ma returns to China after a year

Alibaba founder Jack Ma has returned to his home country of China after a year’s absence. He disappeared after he criticized the country’s government and the government tightened up on private companies.

Ma visited a school to talk about the impact of artificial intelligence on education, reports South China Morning Post. The Chinese newspaper is owned by Alibaba, the company Ma founded. According to the newspaper, he was first in Hong Kong and then traveled to the city of Hangzhou.

The founder of Alibaba disappeared for a few months a few years ago after criticizing the Chinese government’s policies. He then appeared in public again, but last year mainly spent abroad. According to the newspaper, Ma’s presence in China can be seen as a sign that the government has become more lenient towards the tech sector.

In recent years, the Chinese government has investigated Alibaba and other Chinese tech giants, among others. Partly for this reason, Ma’s company Ant Group went public in November canceled at the last minute. The tech sector in China has become more difficult in recent years due to government intervention, strict corona rules and import duties in the US, among others.