Jimmy Lai is a Hong Kong businessman and pro-democracy activist, best known as the founder of the media company Next Digital, which publishes the newspaper Apple Daily. Born in 1947 in Guangdong, China, he moved to Hong Kong in his youth and built a successful career in the fashion industry before venturing into media. Lai has been a vocal critic of the Chinese government's influence in Hong Kong and has actively supported the pro-democracy movement. His activism has led to multiple arrests and legal challenges, particularly following the implementation of the National Security Law in 2020, which has raised concerns about freedom of speech in the region.