Story of ByteDance: Success Despite the TikTok Ban

In 2024, Zhang Yiming, the 41-year-old founder of ByteDance, tops China’s richest list, largely due to his creation of TikTok. Despite retiring early, Zhang’s company ByteDance is at the center of a geopolitical standoff, facing scrutiny from both the U.S. and Chinese governments. As TikTok continues its global rise, the app has drawn security concerns from the U.S., with ongoing calls for ByteDance to sell its American operations. Meanwhile, ByteDance also faces control measures within China. This video explores Zhang Yiming’s journey from tech startup visionary to billionaire, his impact on global media, and the mounting pressures ByteDance now faces on both sides of the Pacific.

Thanks to everyone who watches, likes, and comments!
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"Wholesome" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b...

"Vibing Over Venus" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b...

Music: Precious Memories by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

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Timecodes:
00:00 What is this video about
00:59 Early years
02:02 Software engineer in Kuxun
02:53 Joining Microsoft
03:14 Creating Fanfou: China’s Version of Twitter
03:42 Creating 99Fang: A Real Estate App
04:43 Creating ByteDance
05:38 ByteDance’s First Product: Neihan Duanzi
05:58 Launching Toutiao: ByteDance’s Revolution
07:27 New direction for growth: Musical.ly
08:29 Launching A.me: ByteDance’s Chinese Musical.ly
09:04 Xigua Video: China’s YouTube
09:23 ByteDance’s disputes in China
09:58 Chinese Government Bans Neihan Duanzi
10:44 Content Regulation: The China vs. US Approach
11:39 Douyin vs. Muse: Competition in China
12:05 ByteDance Acquires Musical.ly
12:20 Facebook’s Lasso: TikTok's Rival?
12:46 How TikTok Grew and Caught the US Government’s Eye
13:32 Launching Capcut video editor
13:48 Facebook vs Tiktok
14:31 Trump’s TikTok Ban
16:06 TikTok’s Failed Sale: Why It Didn’t Happen
16:41 Zhang Yiming’s tough spot
17:14 Zhang Yiming’s New Projects After Resigning
17:56 ByteDance’s Success Without Its Founder
18:20 The story continues
19:12 Thanks for watching!