How The Internet Reacted To Jack Ma's Reappearance After Months

Jack Ma, China's most recognizable entrepreneur and the co-founder of Alibaba Group, has resurfaced after months of being out of the public eye. Jack Ma had mysteriously 'disappeared' for months after Beijing's aggressive crackdown on his business empire.

"#JUSTIN: #JackMa not disappear, here we go: Ma just had a video conference with 100 village teachers on Wednesday morning, saying: after #COVID19, we'll meet each other again," tweeted Qingqing Chen, Chief Reporter of Global Times News, a China state-affiliated media on Wednesday.

Ma, who used to be an English teacher and founder of #Alibaba, also gives wishes to village teachers via a video on Wednesday, saying usually the activity is held in Sanya in southern Hainan but this year, due to #Covid19 it has to be done via video conference. pic.twitter.com/yfi7oPB5Sb

— Qingqing_Chen (@qingqingparis) January 20, 2021

On Wednesday morning, the Alibaba and Ant co-founder - dressed in a navy pullover - met a 100 rural teachers in China via a live video meeting in his first appearance since October. 

"Recently, my colleagues and I have been studying and thinking. We made a firmer resolution to devote ourselves to education philanthropy," Mr Ma said in the video, according to a Bloomberg report. "Working hard for rural revitalization and common prosperity is the responsibility for our generation of businessmen."

News of Jack Ma's reappearance instantly created a buzz on social media. Here is how Twitter reacted:

I was kind of hoping Jack Ma to have made a bigger entrance performing Lionel Ritchie's “Hello, is it me you're looking for.” But this will do.

— Alistair Wilson (@AlistairWilson) January 20, 2021

Jack Ma made his first public appearance after three months ,

People be like : pic.twitter.com/tXyaEx9GSK

— Oye_Chirag (@ChiragOye) January 20, 2021

#JackMa has resurfaced after two months.
(https://t.co/niv4cFgjT7 photos) pic.twitter.com/LnSnvElTb2

— Cindy Wan (@CindyWan19) January 20, 2021

Jack Ma returns pic.twitter.com/CCNIu9EMGT

— cranko (@El_Cranko) January 4, 2021

LOST & FOUND. Once Jack ma was Lost, now he is Found #jackmamissing

— Santanu B. (@shan_calcutta) January 20, 2021

Over the last couple of months, Jack Ma's disappearance from public life had prompted a flurry of memes and conspiracy theories on social media.

Mera paas Ma hai

Has a whole new connotation#JackMa

— KN Vaidyanathan (@KNVaidy) January 5, 2021

Where is #jackma? #jackmamissing pic.twitter.com/zO8igjfBJu

— Talk Radio Gold (@talkradiogold) January 18, 2021

A video of his lookalike had also gone viral online

Found at last.....#JackMa #jackmamissing @abhiandniyupic.twitter.com/kq0MCVqMTR

— iSmartShivaa | ???????? | (@iSmartShivaa) January 14, 2021

According to Reuters, Ma's public appearance comes as Alibaba plans to raise at least $5 billion through the sale of a US dollar-denominated bond this month. 

Alibaba is also the target of an antitrust investigation launched last month by Chinese authorities, who have in recent months accelerated a crackdown on anticompetitive behaviour in China's booming internet space.