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ByteDance

ByteDance

ByteDance is a Beijing-based technology company founded in 2012 by Zhang Yiming. ByteDance is the owner of TikTok.

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Contents

Byte Dance is a technology company that owns and operates various user-generated content platforms and applications. Founded by Zhang Yiming in March 2012 in Beijing, China, ByteDance is the owner of the popular apps Toutiao and TikTok (Douyin). As of August 2022, ByteDance's other products include Xigua Video, Helo, Lark, and BytePlus. The company's stated mission is "Inspire Creativity, Enrich life."

Toutiao

Toutiao is an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered news aggregator for China that was launched in 2012. The app is installed on over 240 million unique devices. The platform uses machine learning (ML) technology to curate and deliver personalized news content to users.

TikTok (Douyin)

TikTok is a short-form video platform composed of user-generated content. TikTok is available internationally, while Douyin is only available in China. Douyin is often referred to as the "Chinese version of TikTok," although the two apps have different content. However, they do share a similar interface. Douyin offers extensive e-commerce features, while TikTok primarily supports video content.

Douyin was launched in September 2016. In September 2017, the first version of TikTok was launched outside of China. In August 2018, TikTok merged with Musical.ly, which ByteDance had acquired back in November 2017. TikTok has faced international criticism and controversy regarding the treatment and sharing of its user data to the Chinese government. TikTok has refuted these claims by saying its user data is only stored in the United States. In June 2022, audio recordings from dozens of ByteDance company meetings about TikTok were leaked; it was revealed in the recordings that Chinese employees have the ability to access nonpublic data of US TikTok users. Data collected by Douyin, which includes device information and usage patterns, is stored in China and sent to various Chinese companies.

In February 2022, the Chinese government purchased a 1 percent stake in ByteDance and acquired a board seat.

Timeline

April 14, 2021
ByteDance gaming unit Nuverse acquires C4games with the goal of expanding into the video games business.
June 5, 2020
ByteDance shuts down TopBuzz, its AI-based news aggregator.
January 3, 2020
ByteDance and TikTok's unreleased deepfakes feature is revealed.
July 29, 2019
ByteDance announces the development of its first smartphone.
2019
ByteDance sets up the Nuverse Inspiration Fund to back gaming startups.
March 2012
ByteDance is founded.

Funding Rounds

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Products

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Acquisitions

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Patents

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Further Resources

Title
Author
Link
Type
Date

China's ByteDance leapfrogs Uber to becomes world's most valuable startup

Jon Russell

https://techcrunch.com/2018/10/26/chinas-bytedance-leapfrogs-uber-to-becomes-worlds-most-valuable-startup/

News

TikTok owner Bytedance is now the world's most valuable startup

Sam Byford

https://www.theverge.com/2018/10/26/18026250/bytedance-china-tiktok-valuation-highest-toutiao

News

References

bytedance.com
bytedance.com/en
Is a
Organization
Organization
Company
Company

Company attributes

Industry
Internet
Internet
Digital media
Digital media
Solution Analysts
Solution Analysts
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
E-commerce
E-commerce
‌
Live streaming
Digital Community
Digital Community
Video production
Video production
...
Location
Beijing
Beijing
China
China
Singapore
Singapore
B2X
B2B
B2B
CEO
Liang Rubo
Liang Rubo
Founder
Zhang Yiming
Zhang Yiming
Pitchbook URL
pitchbook.com/profiles.../63628-21
Legal Name
ByteDance Ltd.
Parent Organization
‌
Chinese Internet Giant
Subsidiary
Baike.com
Baike.com
TikTok
TikTok
Toutiao
Toutiao
Legal classification
Public company
Public company
Number of Employees (Ranges)
100,000+
Number of Employees
110,000
Investors
Hony Capital
Hony Capital
General Atlantic
General Atlantic
Morgan Stanley
Morgan Stanley
Bank of China
Bank of China
Goldman Sachs
Goldman Sachs
SoftBank Group
SoftBank Group
TCV
TCV
GGV Capital
GGV Capital
...
Founded Date
March 2012
Email Address
bd@bytedance.com
Total Funding Amount (USD)
6,300,000,000
4,557,000,000
Latest Funding Round Date
April 10, 2019
Competitors
Alibaba Cloud
Alibaba Cloud
Baidu
Baidu
Sleeknote (software company)
Sleeknote (software company)
Qoohoo
Qoohoo
Glassdoor ID
1624196
Latest Funding Type
Private equity
Private equity
Series D round
Series D round
Latest Postmoney Valuation
75,000,000,000
Wellfound ID
bytedance

Other attributes

Headquarters
China
China
Beijing
Beijing
Company Operating Status
Active
Wikidata ID
Q55606242
Funding Round Investor
SoftBank Group
SoftBank Group
Country
China
China
Blog
bytedance.com/en/news
Creator of
Toutiao
Toutiao
Public/Private
Private
Owner of
Toutiao
Toutiao
Latest Funding Round Amount (USD)
1,300,000,000
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