The founder of Chinese tech giant Alibaba, Jack Ma, made his first public appearance in over a year at a school in Hangzhou. There, he spoke to students about the challenges of artificial intelligence, which is becoming an increasingly important technology in the tech industry.
Ma’s visit to his homeland was seen as a signal from the Chinese government that the administration is moving to be more business-friendly again and that the economy is reopening after nearly three years of zero-covid policies. Ma, who has long been the face of China’s booming tech industry, faced criticism from the Chinese government in 2020 after he was critical of China’s financial regulators in a speech.
Beijing subsequently pulled a line through the planned IPO of Ant Group, Alibaba’s fintech arm, which just days later should have raised $34 billion. Ma’s reputation took a big hit, and Chinese leader Xi Jinping became increasingly uncomfortable with the influence of tycoons like Ma on the Chinese economy. Since then, Ma has kept a low profile and stayed mostly outside China, where he engaged in philanthropy and agriculture. His wealth is estimated at $34 billion.
The Chinese government’s top brass had reportedly been pulling at Ma’s sleeve for some time, asking him to return, counting on his patriotism. If China wanted to make Ma’s return a media event meant to convey confidence, it seems to have already succeeded.
However, the real surprise came a day after Ma’s return when it was announced that Alibaba would be split into six smaller units. Ma is said to have been pushing for the sweeping operation behind the scenes to turn Alibaba back into a group of relatively smaller but especially agile companies. Each of these should focus on its domain with its own management: e-commerce in China, e-commerce worldwide, cloud services, entertainment, retail, and logistics.
After the restructuring announcement, Alibaba’s shares experienced solid gains, but analysts point out that Beijing is still uncomfortable with overly large tech conglomerates. With Ma, a member of the Communist Party, a prodigal son is back home. His visit to the school in Hangzhou and the restructuring of Alibaba are seen as a signal that the Chinese government is returning to a more business-friendly attitude and regaining the trust of entrepreneurs.
Alibaba’s restructuring is seen as a way to increase competition and reduce the risks of too big-to-fail tech conglomerates. In recent years, the Chinese government has increasingly focused on regulating the tech industry and limiting the power of large tech companies such as Alibaba. This has included stricter rules on data privacy, cybersecurity, and competition.
The restructuring of Alibaba is part of this push for greater regulation and control of the tech industry. Breaking up Alibaba into smaller units limits the company’s power and makes it easier for the government to oversee the various business units. The breakup could also lead to more competition in the Chinese market, which could benefit consumers and other businesses.
For Ma himself, the restructuring of Alibaba is a sign that his vision for the company will be pursued even after he leaves office. Ma has always believed in the power of small, agile companies that can adapt to changing circumstances. With the breakup of Alibaba, he seems to have achieved what he envisioned: a group of smaller but agile companies that can each focus on their own domain.
For the Chinese government, Ma’s return and the restructuring of Alibaba is a way to regain the confidence of entrepreneurs and boost the economy. China has faced a weakening economy and increasing pressure from abroad in recent years. By regulating the tech industry and investing in new technologies, the government hopes to revive the economy and strengthen China’s position as a world power.
However, the breakup of Alibaba has raised concerns among some industry observers who fear that it could lose Alibaba’s competitive advantage in the global market. Alibaba has been successful in part due to its ability to leverage economies of scale across a wide range of businesses, which could be compromised if the company is split into smaller units.
There are also concerns about the potential impact of the breakup on Alibaba’s workforce. The company employs over 250,000 people, and the restructuring could lead to layoffs and job losses. Alibaba has not yet provided details on how the restructuring will impact its employees.
The Chinese government’s move to regulate the tech industry and limit the power of large companies like Alibaba is not unique to China. Governments around the world are grappling with how to regulate the tech industry, which has become increasingly powerful in recent years. The European Union, for example, has introduced new rules that will make it easier to regulate tech companies and protect consumers’ data privacy.
The breakup of Alibaba is also part of a broader trend toward deconcentration in the tech industry. In the United States, for example, there is growing concern about the power of big tech companies like Amazon, Google, and Facebook. Some lawmakers are calling for these companies to be broken up or subjected to greater regulation, and it remains to be seen how these developments will play out in the coming years.
