Alibaba has opted to close Luohan Academy, a research institute initiated by Alibaba founder Jack Ma, according to sources cited by the South China Morning Post on Saturday. The sudden closure is part of an ongoing restructuring effort within the e-commerce giant. However, the report adds that some of the institute’s operations will persist within Alibaba, including the environmental, social, and governance research team. Founded in mid-2018, Ma expressed his desire for Luohan Academy to endure for 300 years, much like his aspirations for Hupan University, DAMO Academy, and the Jack Ma Foundation to become more enduring presences than Alibaba itself. The committee of this open social science institute boasts multiple Nobel Prize winners in economics, as its official website indicates. It emphasizes that its research “addresses the most important global challenges and focuses on the long-term development of human society.” [SCMP]
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