Alibaba founder Jack Ma re-emerges with praise of ‘transformations’ [Video]

Alibaba founder Jack Ma on Wednesday praised the company’s reorganization and change over its tumultuous past year, marking the billionaire’s second major public statement to employees in just a few months.

In the past year, Alibaba underwent a historic overhaul and sweeping management changes in a bid to return the Chinese technology giant to growth.

“Over the past year, amid external and internal doubt and pressures, I have witnessed the birth of a strong and courageous Alibaba team,” Ma wrote in an internal memo to employees, a translated version of which was seen by CNBC.

Alibaba’s U.S.-listed shares were nearly 2% higher in morning trading Wednesday.

Ma all but disappeared from public life at the end of 2020, after Chinese regulators pulled the plug on the massive listing of the founder’s financial affiliate Ant Group, sparking a crackdown on his empire.

Alibaba, whose business spans everything from e-commerce to cloud computing, has seen billions …