Profit falls 81% as China cracks down on big tech: Alibaba
Hindustan TimesChinese e-commerce leader Alibaba Group said on Thursday that its profit for the most recent quarter tumbled 81 percent as it grappled with a government crackdown on the country's big tech champions. The Hangzhou-based company's revenues -- generated mainly by its core e-commerce operations -- reached 200.7 billion yuan, up 29 percent. Last year the government scuppered what would have been a world-record stock IPO by Alibaba's financial arm, Ant Group, and in April fined Alibaba a record $2.78 billion for anti-competitive practices, which dragged Alibaba to a rare loss earlier this year. Alibaba reported record sales on its platforms during its annual November 1-11 "Singles Day" shopping festival -- China's answer to the US "Black Friday" event -- though it was markedly more low key than in past years due to government pressure to tone down the aggressive sales promotions and rampant consumerism.