Why China’s Big Tech Leaders Are Lying Flat | Stepping Down and Staying Quiet

While China’s strict “zero“ COVID policy has had a serious impact on the country’s economy, another phenomenon has also drawn attention. The bigwigs who once led China’s booming Internet industry are gradually disappearing from the public eye, either by quitting their hard-earned careers or emptying their social media - Weibo, and no longer raising their voices. The majority of these people are still in their 40s, in the full vigor of life, but many choose to retire and lie flat. What is the story behind this? We will talk about this topic today. On April 26, William Ding, the founder of NetEase, a major Chinese Internet company, announced his retirement as legal representative, general manager and director. On April 21, CEO and Chairman of Alibaba Group, Daniel Zhang, stepped down as chairman and general manager of Taobao and Tmall, 2 of the most popular online shopping platforms in China. Daniel Zhang took over this position in September 2019, after Jack Ma stepped down as Ch