Reuters: How billionaire Jack Ma fell to earth and took Ant’s mega IPO with him. “While Ma might not have realised the impact his words would have, people close to him had been baffled to learn in advance about the tone of the speech he planned to deliver, according to two sources close to Ma. They suggested the 56-year-old soften his remarks as some of China’s most senior financial regulators were due to attend, but he refused to budge, believing he should be able to say what he wanted, the sources said. “Jack is Jack. He just wanted to speak his mind.'”