China's highest-profile entrepreneur has not appeared in a
public setting since a late October forum in Shanghai where he blasted China's
regulatory system in a speech that put him on a collision course with
officials, resulting in the suspension of a $37 billion IPO of Alibaba's Ant
Group fintech arm.
The Financial Times reported on Friday that Ma was replaced
as a judge in the final episode in November of a game show for entrepreneurs
called Africa's Business Heroes.
An Alibaba spokeswoman told Reuters on Monday that the
change was due to a scheduling conflict, declining further comment.
While news coverage of Ma's absence from public view
triggered speculation on Twitter, which is blocked in China, it was not a
significant trending topic on social media in mainland China, where sensitive
topics are subject to censorship.
Chinese regulators have zeroed in on Ma's businesses since
his October speech including launching an antitrust probe into Alibaba and
ordering Ant to shake up its lending and other consumer finance businesses
including the creation of a separate holding company to meet capital
requirements.
"I think he's been told to lay low," said Duncan
Clark, chairman of Beijing-based tech consultancy BDA China. "This is a
pretty unique situation, more linked to the sheer scale of Ant and the
sensitivities over financial regulation," he said.
Alibaba's Hong Kong-listed shares fell 2.15% on Monday.