The Chinese authorities’ war with Alibaba founder Jack Ma scared Chinese entrepreneurs. It can slow down Beijing’s progress towards the status of a world leader in technology, which will hit the economy.

The head of one of the startups said that he does not want to achieve a business scale comparable to Alibaba anymore. He fears unwanted attention from the government. Another businessman decided to refuse public speaking and now want to develop his robotics business outside the country.

Investors and businesses are worried about the lack of transparency and the harsh crackdown on dissent. “The Jack Ma incident shows that there is no safety for anyone,” one entrepreneur told the publication.