Alibaba founder, Jack Ma, accepts teaching post in Hong Kong
A premier university in Hong Kong has appointed Jack Ma, the founder of Chinese tech giant Alibaba, as an honorary professor of business, the university announced on Friday.
The appointment comes after the billionaire, who fell out of favour during a government crackdown on the tech industry over two years ago, made a rare public appearance in China just weeks prior to the appointment.
Read Also: BREAKING: UK gets new deputy Prime Minister after Raab’s Resignation (Photo)
Ma has maintained a low profile since late 2020, when Beijing cancelled a planned IPO by Ant Group, an affiliate of Alibaba, as a result of a speech Ma gave criticising Chinese regulators.
Later, Alibaba was hit with a record-breaking $2.75 billion fine for allegedly engaging in unfair business practises.
Ma accepted an honorary professorship from the university’s business school, the university of Hong Kong announced on Friday.
According to a representative for the organisation, Ma was invited to share “his rich knowledge and experience in business innovation and development”.
According to local media, the professorship has a three-year term that ends in March 2026. Ma has a profile on the school’s website that highlights his experience in “management and strategy”.
The same university conferred Ma with an honorary doctorate in 2018.
Also Read:Â Popular Pastor divorces wife after Herbalist died on top of her during S3x Romp
The South China Morning Post, an English-language publication with headquarters in Hong Kong and is fully owned by Alibaba, reports that Ma has “no plans for public lectures or speeches”.
After taking a break from the world of education, the billionaire “looks forward to returning to campus life,” according to the Jack Ma Foundation, a nonprofit organisation he founded in 2014.
Before starting Alibaba, Ma spent eight years as an English instructor at Hangzhou Dianzi University in the eastern Chinese province of Zhejiang.
Along with a number of other influential Chinese businesspeople, he also founded a centre for entrepreneurship in Zhejiang in 2015.
Hupan University was the original name of the organisation, but because of Ma’s dispute with the Chinese government, the word “university” was dropped from the name in 2021.
Ma was reportedly residing in Japan for the majority of 2022 and has been spotted in a number of places around the world over the past two years, including on the Spanish island of Mallorca.
Thanks for using our platform to learn about the latest Naija News on Alibaba founder, Jack Ma, accepts teaching post in Hong Kong
