TMTPOST — Alibaba Group Holding founder Jack Ma and senior executives have purchased more than HK$800 million worth of the company’s Hong Kong-listed shares in recent days, following the group’s announcement of an HK$80 billion new share placement aimed at funding artificial-intelligence investments. According to people familiar with the matter cited by Caixin on Aug. 25, Ma has bought Alibaba Hong Kong shares on consecutive days since the company disclosed the placement plan on Aug. 23, with total purchases exceeding HK$600 million. The moves are widely viewed as a personal vote of confidence in Alibaba’s long-term AI prospects. Separately, Hong Kong stock exchange filings and company announcements show that Group Chairman Joe Tsai and Chief Executive Officer Eddie Wu have also been active buyers. On Aug. 24, Tsai acquired 720,000 shares at an average price of about HK$112, spending roughly HK$80.67 million, while Wu purchased 350,000 shares at an average of HK$111.6, for approximately HK$39.06 million. The following day, Tsai bought another 720,000 shares at an average of about HK$113.46, investing a further HK$81.7 million. Tsai’s two-day total exceeded HK$160 million; combined with Wu’s purchase, the two executives spent more than HK$200 million. Taken together, the recent buying by Ma, Tsai and Wu exceeds HK$800 million. The purchases came after Alibaba priced the placement of 710 million new shares at HK$112.70 each on Aug. 24, raising a total of HK$80 billion. Net proceeds are earmarked entirely for investment in full-stack AI capabilities and related infrastructure. It is Alibaba’s first equity placement since its 2019 Hong Kong listing and ranks among the largest secondary offerings in Hong Kong market history. The deal attracted strong interest from global long-term investors, including sovereign wealth funds, and was nearly three times oversubscribed. Market participants said the insider purchases were intended to reinforce confidence after the large placement exerted pressure on the share price. Alibaba has positioned AI infrastructure and cloud computing as central pillars of its next growth phase, and the coordinated buying by the founder and top management underscores alignment with that strategy.