5 ms·

Jack Ma hasn't been seen publicly in 2 months

94 points by rukshn 6y ago

newbie578 6y ago
Again, why is there no wide reaction to this news, and where are the people complaining about "western freedom" and how the US is the same as China...
deleted 6y ago
[deleted]
dudus 6y ago
other thread. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25627043 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25627043
chumich1 6y ago
Neither have I!
sieabahlpark 6y ago
Oh now all of a sudden HN cares that China went too far?
deleted 6y ago
[deleted]
o_p 6y ago
Noooooo not the poor CCP billionerinos!
- dang 6y ago
  Please don't do this here.
awillen 6y ago
For everything that's wrong in the United States, it's just terrifying to think of what it's like to be in China/Russia/Saudi Arabia/etc., where the government has no qualms about poisoning, arresting or otherwise silencing you if your disagree. I have endless respect for people who stand up to those governments, because quite honestly I'm far too much of a coward to ever do so in their position.
- brink 6y ago
  It's why it's so terrifying to watch people call on social media companies to censor controversy. Freedom of speech is what separates us from them.
  - happytoexplain 6y ago
    I find the two sets of problems incomparable, personally. It's dramatic to equate them.
- eloff 6y ago
  It makes one really appreciate the concept of having rights here in the West. Granted sometimes the police or the government overstep and don't respect those rights, but it's a far cry from the norm in much of the world where you only have rights to the extent permitted by the capricious whims of the people in power and it can change instantly with no recourse or appeal.
  - awillen 6y ago
    Agreed - and FWIW even with what Trump has tried to do to give himself dictatorial powers (and the enablement of the Republicans to that end), our democracy has still held up pretty well.
  - chaostheory 6y ago
    It's not just rights. There are many countries that purportedly offer the same rights as the US. Another key differentiator is the rule of law. Granted, both are slowly eroding.
guardiangod 6y ago
The rumor in China is that Jack Ma is part of Jiang Zemin's clique of politicians/sphere of influence. Alibaba's backed by and invested by Jiang's families. Xi has been purging Jiang's people/influence on the Central Government for the last few years to strengthen his ruling. Originally he was going to leave Ma alone as he has proven himself to be useful. But 2 things happened- 1. people start to idolize Ma the businessman over the party's absolute rule. 2. Perhaps as a result Ma is embolden to speak out against Xi's government directions. So now Ma has to go. Ma knew this and that's why he resigned from Alibaba's Chairman position, but it was too late. Ant Financial, with its main backers from Jiang's gang, was put to a standstill. This is only the first step. Expect the party to eventually to take over the Alibaba group (国进民退). No private civilian will be allowed to gain this much power again. https://time.com/5926062/jack-ma/ https://time.com/5926062/jack-ma/ “There is no so-called [Ma] era,” read a recent headline in the CCP mouthpiece People’s Daily, “but only an era that has [Ma] in it.” Anyway, to quote House of Cards- “Such a waste of time. He chose money over power, in this town, a mistake nearly everyone makes. Money is the McMansion in Sarasota that starts falling apart after ten years. Power — is the old stone building that stands for centuries. I cannot respect someone who doesn’t see the difference.” - Frank Underwood
solarkraft 6y ago
There's a chance he's under "residential surveillance" (house arrest) like Fan Bingbing was for 6 months following tax evasion allegations. https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2019/03/the-untold-story-disappearance-of-fan-bingbing-worlds-biggest-movie-star https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2019/03/the-untold-stor...

94 points by rukshn 6y ago

Again, why is there no wide reaction to this news, and where are the people complaining about "western freedom" and how the US is the same as China...

deleted 6y ago

[deleted]

dudus 6y ago

other thread. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25627043 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25627043

chumich1 6y ago

Neither have I!

sieabahlpark 6y ago

Oh now all of a sudden HN cares that China went too far?

deleted 6y ago

[deleted]

o_p 6y ago

Noooooo not the poor CCP billionerinos!

dang 6y ago
Please don't do this here.

awillen 6y ago

For everything that's wrong in the United States, it's just terrifying to think of what it's like to be in China/Russia/Saudi Arabia/etc., where the government has no qualms about poisoning, arresting or otherwise silencing you if your disagree. I have endless respect for people who stand up to those governments, because quite honestly I'm far too much of a coward to ever do so in their position.

brink 6y ago
It's why it's so terrifying to watch people call on social media companies to censor controversy. Freedom of speech is what separates us from them.
- happytoexplain 6y ago
  I find the two sets of problems incomparable, personally. It's dramatic to equate them.
eloff 6y ago
It makes one really appreciate the concept of having rights here in the West. Granted sometimes the police or the government overstep and don't respect those rights, but it's a far cry from the norm in much of the world where you only have rights to the extent permitted by the capricious whims of the people in power and it can change instantly with no recourse or appeal.
- awillen 6y ago
  Agreed - and FWIW even with what Trump has tried to do to give himself dictatorial powers (and the enablement of the Republicans to that end), our democracy has still held up pretty well.
- chaostheory 6y ago
  It's not just rights. There are many countries that purportedly offer the same rights as the US. Another key differentiator is the rule of law. Granted, both are slowly eroding.

guardiangod 6y ago

The rumor in China is that Jack Ma is part of Jiang Zemin's clique of politicians/sphere of influence. Alibaba's backed by and invested by Jiang's families. Xi has been purging Jiang's people/influence on the Central Government for the last few years to strengthen his ruling. Originally he was going to leave Ma alone as he has proven himself to be useful. But 2 things happened- 1. people start to idolize Ma the businessman over the party's absolute rule. 2. Perhaps as a result Ma is embolden to speak out against Xi's government directions. So now Ma has to go. Ma knew this and that's why he resigned from Alibaba's Chairman position, but it was too late. Ant Financial, with its main backers from Jiang's gang, was put to a standstill. This is only the first step. Expect the party to eventually to take over the Alibaba group (国进民退). No private civilian will be allowed to gain this much power again. https://time.com/5926062/jack-ma/ https://time.com/5926062/jack-ma/ “There is no so-called [Ma] era,” read a recent headline in the CCP mouthpiece People’s Daily, “but only an era that has [Ma] in it.” Anyway, to quote House of Cards- “Such a waste of time. He chose money over power, in this town, a mistake nearly everyone makes. Money is the McMansion in Sarasota that starts falling apart after ten years. Power — is the old stone building that stands for centuries. I cannot respect someone who doesn’t see the difference.” - Frank Underwood

solarkraft 6y ago

There's a chance he's under "residential surveillance" (house arrest) like Fan Bingbing was for 6 months following tax evasion allegations. https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2019/03/the-untold-story-disappearance-of-fan-bingbing-worlds-biggest-movie-star https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2019/03/the-untold-stor...