Missing China mogul returns with US$1b for brain research

Washington

A DOZEN years ago, the largest Internet company in China wasn't Alibaba or Tencent, but game developer Shanda Interactive Entertainment. Its founder was a young man named Chen Tianqiao, who had become a billionaire at 30. Mr Chen was more prominent than Alibaba's Jack Ma for much of the last decade - then he disappeared. He left China, dropping out of public view almost completely. He took his Nasdaq-listed company private in 2012.

Mr Chen is finally ready to talk publicly again. Now 44, he's living in Singapore with plans for his next act. During a visit to his office there, he explained what led him to give up his life's work and cede the market to Alibaba Group and Tencent Holdings, whose founders are now the country's two richest men. It started with panic attacks in his 30s, then escalated amid the rising stress of competition and government regulations. He eventually decided he had to salvage his own health.