Zhang Yiming

Zhang Yiming was born on April 1, 1983, in Longyan, Fujian, China. He showed an early interest in technology and computers.

Zhang Yiming, the Chinese tech magnate and founder of ByteDance, was born on January 1, 1984, marking the beginning of his journey towards becoming a prominent figure in the technology industry.

In 2005, Zhang Yiming graduated from Nankai University in Tianjin with a degree in software engineering.

In 2006, Zhang Yiming started working as the first engineer at the travel website Kuxun and eventually rose to the position of technical director.

In 2007, Zhang gained valuable sales skills while working as an engineer, which he later utilized to grow his company, ByteDance.

In 2008, Zhang Yiming joined Microsoft but later left due to corporate restrictions.

In 2009, Zhang started his first business, a property search site called 99fang.com, which sparked his drive for entrepreneurship.

Zhang Yiming introduced Toutiao, a news platform powered by artificial intelligence, as his first step towards creating innovative platforms separate from Baidu.

Zhang Yiming founded Beijing ByteDance Technology Co., which owns popular apps like TikTok and Toutiao. The company is valued at $75 billion and has around 1 billion monthly users globally.

In 2013, Zhang Yiming was acknowledged in Forbes' China 30 Under 30 list.

In 2014, Zhang Yiming directed ByteDance into the video business by developing products like Douyin and Xigua Video. These platforms became highly popular with over 600 million daily users on Douyin and Xigua Video being a major platform for mid-to-long videos.

In September 2015, ByteDance introduced its video-sharing app TikTok, initially known as Douyin in China. The app gained popularity among Gen Z and millennials, eventually becoming a global sensation.

A year after the launch of TikTok, ByteDance purchased the Chinese social media platform Musical.ly for US$800 million and merged it with TikTok, further expanding its user base and features.

Zhang Yiming's company, ByteDance, acquired Musical.ly in 2017.

In late 2018, ByteDance, founded by Zhang Yiming, became the world's most valuable startup.

Zhang Yiming was recognized in Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People list in 2019.

In September 2020, the United States Department of Justice referred to Zhang Yiming as a 'mouthpiece' of the Chinese Communist Party in a legal filing.

An article detailing the journey and achievements of Zhang Yiming, the founder of TikTok, discussing his success and impact on the social media and technology industry.

On November 4, 2021, Zhang Yiming announced his resignation as the CEO of ByteDance, completing a leadership handover that was previously announced in May 2021.

In May 2023, The New York Times reported that a former employee accused Zhang Yiming in a lawsuit of facilitating bribes to Lu Wei.