Chris Lynch's slanted view on sports, politics and entertainment. Please send thoughts or comments to chris.lynch@gmail.com
But the entrepreneurial spirit in China is dead. Jack Ma gives up his power and most likely will recede into the shadows. There's only room for one larger-than-life personality in China (hint - he looks like Winnie the Pooh).
Why would any outside capital firm invest in Chinese startups now? If innovation is the engine that drives an economy - then I think we've just seen the end of most innovation from China. They can still steal technology but gone are the days of the launch of an Alibaba.
Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.
"Acknowledge that objectivity may be impossible but fairness never is." - Jim Lehrer
"The motto for getting better at things: Get going, then get good." - David Perell
"Stand for something - even if it costs you everything." - Jack Ma (probably)
"Mental toughness is doing the right thing for the team when it's not the best thing for you." - Bill Belichick
Forbes does a good job trying to piece together the clues to the mystery of what happened to Jack Ma. Kudos to them for tackling a subject that China probably feels is taboo (which explains why much of the Western press has avoided the story). The whole situation should be a giant red flag to any international company doing business in China.
I've said this many times but the Chinese Communist Party only recognizes supplicants and enemies. Jack Ma wasn't enough of a supplicant and so he found himself on the other list.
For all we know Jack Ma may be doing forced labor making Nike sneakers at this point. Don't trust China - China is asshole!
Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.
- Matt Taibbi looks back at 2020
- The Bill is Coming Due for China's "Capitalist" Experiment. China only recognizes enemies or underlings. There are no friends. The West must realize this.
- On a probably related note - Chinese billionaires and CEO's keep disappearing in "state sanctioned kidnappings"
- And on an absolutely related note - Alibaba founder Jack Ma, China's richest man, is missing
- Big rock fan but the best album on this list is probably Carole King's Tapestry (HT Steve Landry)