Alibaba Chairman's Wife Tells Internet Star "Don't Touch My Husband" Amid Infidelity Scandal
[Asia Economy Reporter Yoon Shin-won] Jiang Fan, CEO of Tmall and a promising next-generation executive of Alibaba, China's largest e-commerce company, has been embroiled in allegations of having an inappropriate relationship with an internet star on the company's platform.
According to Chinese media such as Sina Finance on the 21st, CEO Jiang posted a public apology on Alibaba's internal network on the 18th. He stated, "I apologize for the post my family made on Weibo that caused significant impact on the company due to internet rumors that are not true. I hope the company will conduct an investigation regarding me."
The incident began on the 17th when Jiang's wife posted on Weibo (the Chinese version of Twitter) a message directed at famous internet star Zhang Dayi, saying, "This is the first and last warning. If you touch my husband again, I will not stay silent." Zhang Dayi, a former model, has achieved great success by hosting live shopping broadcasts on Alibaba's shopping platform, with 11 million followers on her Weibo account.
Zhang Dayi's side explained it as a "simple misunderstanding," but the controversy has not subsided. Since Taobao, a subsidiary of Alibaba, has invested in 'Luhan,' Zhang Dayi's agency, questions have arisen in China about whether Alibaba has been actively supporting Zhang Dayi's business, spreading concerns about business fairness.
CEO Jiang, born in 1985, is a young CEO aged 35 this year. He was considered a strong candidate among the next-generation leaders to lead Alibaba Group's future, following founder Jack Ma and current chairman Daniel Zhang, but he now faces a crisis due to these allegations.
Hot Picks Today
At President Lee's Call to "Give Enough to Shock," Whistleblower Rewards Become a Real Lottery
- "If Both Spouses Work There, How Much Would They Make?" "They Earn More Than Me, and I'm a Doctor"... Envy Erupts Over Samsung Electronics' Bonus
- Lived as Family for Over 30 Years... Daughter-in-Law Cast Aside After Husband's Death
- "Who Is Visiting Japan These Days?" The Once-Crowded Tourist Spots Empty Out... What's Happening?
- Park Minshik Shaves Head: "I Will End Han Donghoon's Predatory and Parasitic Politics"... Ongoing Calls for Conservative Consolidation in Busan Buk-gu Gap within PPP
After graduating from university, he founded 'Youmeng,' a mobile developer service platform, and became part of Alibaba when the company acquired it in 2013. He quickly rose through the ranks after catching the attention of Alibaba's top management, becoming president overseeing Taobao's business in 2017, and last year, he was appointed CEO and corporate representative of Tmall, overseeing Alibaba Group's business-to-consumer (B2C) segment including Taobao and Tmall.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
