Jack Ma returns

Jack Ma's return signals a new era of technology in China. Photo: Bloomberg .

Two iconic founders of China's Internet industry, Jack Ma and Zhang Yiming, have reappeared in public after a long period of silence.

On October 9, Zhang Yiming, founder of ByteDance, made his first public appearance in China after more than four years of stepping down from his executive position. He spoke at the opening ceremony of the Zhichun Innovation Center in Shanghai, a non-profit organization he co-founded. The center aims to train young talents in the fields of computer science and AI, focusing on creativity and practical application.

In his speech, Truong Nhat Minh compared the “overfitting” situation in machine learning technology to the weakness of the current training system, where too many people are good at technical skills but lack independent thinking. He said the center’s goal is to nurture individuals who are capable of self-learning and innovation instead of just being good at technology.

Although this is a social activity, the appearance of Zhang Yiming is still considered a strategic signal for ByteDance. After his withdrawal, the company has strongly shifted to the field of AI, from an "app factory" to a global technology corporation. According to many sources, since the end of 2024, Mr. Zhang has returned to participate in discussions on strategies for the company's AI model and core technology.

A day earlier, Jack Ma also attracted attention when he appeared with Alibaba Chairman Joseph Tsai at a private party with the NBA basketball team Brooklyn Nets in the US. This was just one of many times he reappeared in 2025, from private business forums, meetings at Alibaba Cloud Valley to directly supervising the operations of Ele.me and Taobao Flash Sale.

Observers say Jack Ma’s return reflects a major strategic shift at Alibaba. After a difficult period with declining market share and a divisive “1+6+N” model, the e-commerce giant is undergoing a comprehensive restructuring under the leadership of Joseph Tsai and Wu Yongming. Jack Ma plays the role of strategic advisor, focusing on two pillars: AI and consumer platforms.

Earlier this year, Alibaba announced a 380 billion yuan ( $53.4 billion ) investment over the next three years to develop AI and cloud infrastructure. Alibaba Cloud revenue increased 26% year-on-year in the most recent quarter, while AI-related products recorded triple-digit growth for several consecutive quarters. In the consumer segment, a Flash Sale program with Ele.me helped the number of orders exceed 80 million per day, thanks to the subsidy campaign.

The apparent change in strategy has helped Alibaba's shares more than double since the beginning of the year, bringing its market capitalization back to the 3,000 billion HKD ( 385 billion USD ) mark. Investors see this as a sign of recovery for the one-time e-commerce giant.

Not only Jack Ma and Zhang Yiming, Richard Liu, founder of JD.com also returned this year. He directly directed the business operations and expanded into the food delivery and e-commerce fields.

The return of three iconic entrepreneurs shows that China's technology industry is entering a period of reshaping, where AI, data and people become the three key pillars for the new decade.

Source: https://znews.vn/jack-ma-tro-lai-post1592991.html