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Alibaba's Jack Ma turns up in Japan as college professor

Ma will carry out research in sustainable agriculture and food production

Web Desk Updated: May 01, 2023 14:30 IST
Where’s the energy?: Jack Ma, China’s richest man and founder of Alibaba, had a rather strange advice for his employees at the company’s annual mass wedding ceremony—to have sex “six days, six times, with duration being the key”. “At work, we emphasise the spirit of 996,” he said. “In life, we should follow 669.” He was punning on the company’s 996 work policy, in which employees are encouraged to work from 9am to 9pm six days a week. As someone commented, “Who on earth would have the energy to 669 at home after 996 during work?” | AFP

Jack Ma, a co-founder of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group, will be a visiting professor at Tokyo College, a research institute run by the prestigious University of Tokyo, the university said on Monday.


Ma will carry out research in sustainable agriculture and food production, it said in a statement.

The university said that Ma's tenure will end in October, but, the contract is renewable on an annual basis.

Ma returned to China in March, after staying abroad for about a year, towards the end of a tough two-year regulatory crackdown. The Tokyo College was founded in 2019 to serve as an interface between the University of Tokyo and overseas researchers and research institutions, Reuters reported.

58-year-old Ma joined the college as a visiting professor on May 1. the university did not detail what kind of lectures the billionaire would conduct.

The university's research focuses on themes such as the digital revolution, Japan viewed from within and outside, the humanities in 2050 and the value of life.


Ma founded e-commerce firm Alibaba in the 1990s and was once China's richest man.


He is well known in Japan as a friend of Masayoshi Son, the founder and chief executive of SoftBank Group Corp.

– With PTI inputs