ByteDance

ByteDance Ltd.
Native name
字节跳动有限公司
FormerlyBeijing ByteDance Technology Co., Ltd. (2012-2018)
Douyin Group (HK) Ltd. (2018–2022)
Company typePrivate
IndustryInternet
IncorporatedCayman Islands
Founded13 March 2012 (2012-03-13)
Founders
Headquarters
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
  • Zhang Yiming (founder & chairman)
  • Liang Rubo (founder & CEO)
  • Erich Andersen (global GC)
  • Kelly Zhang (CEO of ByteDance China)
  • Lidong Zhang (chairman of ByteDance China)
  • Shou Zi Chew (CEO of TikTok)
Products
Revenue US$155 billion (2024)
OwnerZhang Yiming (over 50% voting control)
Sequoia Capital
SoftBank Group
KKR & Co.
Number of employees
c. 120,000 (2025)
Subsidiaries
ASNs396986, 138699
Websitebytedance.com
Zijie Tiaodong
Chinese字节跳动
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinZìjié Tiàodòng
Bopomofoㄗˋ ㄐㄧㄝˊ ㄊㄧㄠˋ ㄉㄨㄥˋ
Wade–GilesTzu4-chieh2 T'iao4-tung4
Tongyong PinyinZìh-jié Tiào-dòng
IPA[tsɹ̩̂.tɕjě tʰjâʊ.tʊ̂ŋ]

ByteDance is a Chinese internet technology company headquartered in Haidian, Beijing. Its associated variable-interest entity ByteDance Ltd is incorporated in the Cayman Islands.

Founded by Zhang Yiming, Liang Rubo, and a team of others in 2012, ByteDance developed the video-sharing app TikTok/Douyin. The company is also the developer of the news platform Toutiao, the video-editing app CapCut, and Lemon8 which is a video sharing mobile app. Furthermore, the company develops generative AI models both for the Chinese and international markets.

ByteDance has attracted regulatory and media attention in several countries over security, surveillance, and censorship concerns.