Ma, who’s still revered by many of the company’s 200,000-plus employees, struck a markedly more upbeat tone than just four months ago, when he spoke up for the first time in years only to criticize its direction and laud a rival.
Jack Ma took to an internal Alibaba forum to voice his support for a company undergoing a turbulent restructuring, emerging from seclusion for the second time in months to try and shore up sagging morale at the Chinese e-commerce pioneer he co-created.
The billionaire, who had retreated from the public spotlight in recent years, penned a lengthy memo in which he blessed efforts by new leaders Joseph Tsai and Eddie Wu to revive a stalled company. He said Alibaba Group Holding is now on the right track and urged staff to stay the course.
