Alibaba founder Jack Ma urges workers to have sex ‘six times in six days’

He’s the eccentric rich-lister who urged staff to work from 9am to 9pm, six days a week. Now, he’s telling them what to do in the bedroom.

Eccentric billionaire Jack Ma has sparked outrage after informing staff they need to have sex six times in six days in order to reach “marriage KPIs”.

The 54-year-old founder and former CEO of e-commerce giant Alibaba made the surprising comments recently at a company wedding, declaring the key to a balanced personal life came down to the bizarre “669” rule.

“At work, we emphasise the spirit of 996. In life, we should follow 669,” Mr Ma told couples gathered before him, according to the ABC.

“We want 669 in life. What is 669? Six times in six days, the emphasis is on nine.”

He also encouraged them to “work happily and live seriously”, and said the “KPI” of marriage was to procreate.

“The first KPI of marriage is to have results. There must be products. What is the product? Have children,” Mr Ma said.

“Marriage is not for the purpose of accumulating wealth, not for buying a house, not for buying a car, but for having a child together.”

In Chinese numerology, the number nine is considered to be auspicious, and it is also associated with being “long lasting”.

Mr Ma‘s comments were also shared by Alibaba on Weibo — China’s answer to Facebook — complete with a winking emoji.

However, the post has since been deleted following an outpouring of anger at the comments, which some Weibo users described as “disgusting”.

Jack Ma says staff should follow the ‘996’ rule at work — and ‘669’ at home. Picture: Bertrand Guay/AFP

The reference to “996” at the beginning of Mr Ma’s controversial quotes relates to comments he made last month about China’s workforce.

At the time, he said working gruelling 12-hour days and 72-hour weeks were a “blessing”, and that employees should follow the so-called “996 system” — working from 9am to 9pm, six days a week.

“I personally think that being able to do 996 is a huge blessing that many companies and employees do not have the opportunity to have,” Mr Ma said in April.

“If you do not do 996 when you are young, when will you? Do you think never having to work 996 in your life is an honour to boast about? If you join Alibaba, you should get ready to work 12 hours a day, otherwise why do you come to Alibaba? We do not need those who comfortably work eight hours.

“If you do not pay the price, how will you gain?”

Unsurprisingly, Mr Ma’s comments sparked a backlash, with many claiming the rule could affect the health of workers and even send them to an intensive care unit.

But it is a stance supported by other Chinese business leaders, with fellow e-commerce founder Richard Liu of JD.com saying China’s rapid growth had increased the number of “slackers”.

“ … the number of slackers has rapidly grown! If this carries on, JD will have no hope! And the company will only be heartlessly kicked out of the market! Slackers are not my brothers!” he said.

However, Mr Ma eventually clarified his controversial opinion, explaining that working such long hours permanently was “unsustainable”.

“No one likes working at a company that forces you to do 996. Not only is it inhumane, it’s unhealthy and even more unsustainable for long periods — plus workers, relatives and the law do not approve of it. In the long term, even if you pay a higher salary, employees will all leave,” he said in a follow-up Weibo post.

China’s official labour law prohibits more than 36 hours of overtime a month.

Mr Ma — who has a staggering net worth of around $55 billion, making him the richest man in China — is himself a father of three.

Many believed Mr Ma’s 669 comments were an attempt to start a mini baby boom in the face of China’s declining population.

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