The IUP Journal of Case Folio
ByteDance Ltd: Navigating the Journey from Viewership to Profit

Article Details
Pub. Date : June' 2023
Product Name : The IUP Journal of Case Folio
Product Type : Article
Product Code : IJCF020623
Author Name : Shwetha Kumari and G V Muralidhara
Availability : YES
Subject/Domain : Management
Download Format : PDF Format
No. of Pages : 15

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Abstract

The case describes the growth of ByteDance Technology Co Ltd (ByteDance), one of the China's largest content platforms, which was founded in 2012 and shot up the rankings to become the world's biggest startup within six years of its inception. It starts with a background note on how Zhang Yiming, founder of ByteDance, developed the idea of a news aggregation app powered by artificial intelligence. It then talks about the way ByteDance became a giant with a news site named Jinri Toutiao and with a slew of acquisitions and strategic investments. It also discusses ByteDance's mercurial growth and popularity across the globe and talks about several issues and challenges faced by the company such as scrutiny of clips on its apps and a backlash online for inappropriate and potentially dangerous content, adding to the regulatory woes. The case ends with the move by SoftBank Group Corp., KKR & Co., and General Atlantic to make a huge investment in ByteDance, an investment which could value the company as high as $75 bn, helping it eclipse Uber Technologies Inc. as the world's largest startup.

Our mission at ByteDance is to build connections between people and information using AI technology and we are honored by this recognition from Fast Company. Our products enable users to discover a world of interesting content and allow creators to reach new audiences, and we look forward to sharing this experience with more users around the world in 2018.1

- PZhang Yiming, Fou nder and CEO of ByteDance, 2018


Introduction

On September 28, 2018, Fortune.com reported that SoftBank Group Corp., KKR & Co., and General Atlantic were planning to make a giant investment in the fast-rising Chinese Internet player ByteDance Technology Co Ltd (ByteDance). The deal could make ByteDance the world's biggest startup.2 Founded in 2012 by Yiming Zhang3