As the news of Jack Ma, one of the most prominent billionaire business tycoons in China and founder of Alibaba Group going missing shocked the world, a video of a man, who appears to be the spitting image of the Chinese billionaire repairing an air-condition is going viral on social media.
The Claim
The social media posts claimed that Jack Ma was "finally found" after Ma vanished from the public eye for over two months. This came after Ma's conflict with President Xi Jinping-led Central Communist Party government.
In the viral video, a man who shares an uncanny resemblance with Ma, can be seen hanging on the AC unit and repairing it while he smiles at the camera. The post was shared heavily as the mystery of Jack Ma missing for over two months continues.
The Truth
International Business Times, India ran a fact check to debunk the truth behind the video and found that the video dated back to 2018. An online web portal, Share A News, posted the same video on July 2, 2018.
The web portal wrote, "This air-con repairman looks remarkably like one of China's richest men, Jack Ma who founded the e-commerce company Alibaba. Have you found your look alike ?" Here is a link to the 2018 video.
Where is Jack Ma?
Chinese tech billionaire and the founder of Alibaba, Jack Ma, has vanished from the public eye for over two months. This came after Ma's conflict with President Xi Jinping-led Central Communist Party government.
Alibaba's founder was set to appear as a judge in the final episode of his own talent show, 'Africa's Business Heroes', but mysteriously did not turn up due to his "hectic schedule". After which his photographs were removed from the show's website which raised eyebrows.
One of China's unusually vocal and outspoken tycoons, Ma flayed the CCP government's 'pawnshop' financial regulators and state-owned banks in an incendiary speech in Shanghai back in October.
In October Jack Ma said, "Mortgages and guarantees are for a pawnshop, but if we go to extremes in relying solely on collateral assets, certain enterprises will pledge all of their assets, and the pressure [for them] is enormous,"
The speech angered the Chinese government, which viewed Ma's criticisms as an attack on the authority of the Communist Party, and led to its extraordinary clampdown on Ma's business activities.
"Due to a schedule conflict Mr Ma could no longer be part of the finale judge panel of Africa's Business Heroes earlier this year (2020)," an Alibaba spokesperson said.
The 'Africa's Business Heroes' show gives budding African entrepreneurs the chance to compete for a slice of US $1.5 million. The mystery deepens as the Chinese authorities are tightening grip over his business empire, including the Ant Group, allegedly after in response to his criticism against China's regulation system last October.
