He was kidnapped on his first trip to the United States.
He agreed to work as an interpreter in the United States in part to assist a buddy in recovering a debt from an American businessman. The merchant refused Ma's request for the payback. Instead, he kept Ma inside his home, pulled his firearm, and attempted to intimidate him into making a bargain.
The events that followed resemble a Hollywood film more than an executive chairman's biography. Ma initially visited the United States while working as an interpreter in 1995. In the course of his business, he attempted to pay a loan owed to a buddy by an American businessman in Malibu, California. It turns out that this American tried to force Ma to make a deal by locking him in his home rather than paying back the debt. This man was obviously insane. "At one point he started messing with his firearm," said Jack Ma. It was clearly intended to be a threat which is one of the interesting facts about Jack Ma.
Ma obeyed his orders while attempting to find a way out because he was afraid of what he thought was a gun-happy American "cowboy." Uncertain as to whether Jack was coerced into staying with the American, he made the decision to take Jack to Las Vegas a few days later as part of a "standard showcase trip" for Chinese businesspeople. It was obvious that Jack remained his prisoner.
To make matters worse, Jack Ma decided to try his luck at the slot machines despite having nearly little cash on him. Unbelievably, Ma won $600; he miraculously managed to get away from the businessman, leaving everything behind with him. He then went to the airport and used his earnings to purchase a flight to Seattle, where his companion was waiting. "It was an awful experience... It's a genuine story that Ma claims, "I suffer nightmares every time I think of Los Angeles.
