TikTok was created by the Chinese technology company ByteDance, which was founded by Zhang Yiming and Liang Rubo in 2012; TikTok is the international version of ByteDance's Chinese app, Douyin, launched in 2017 and merged with Musical.ly in 2018.
Shou Zi Chew (Chinese: 周受资; born 1 January 1983) is a Singaporean business executive who has been the chief executive officer (CEO) of TikTok, an online video platform owned by Chinese company ByteDance, since 2021.
On January 18, 2025, the day before the deadline of the law, TikTok temporarily suspended its services in the United States. The following day, after President-elect Trump signaled that he would grant an extension to TikTok upon being inaugurated, services were restored.
TikTok is a popular video-sharing smartphone application (app) owned by ByteDance Ltd., a privately held company headquartered in Beijing, China.
The short-form video-hosting service TikTok has been under a de jure nationwide ban in the United States since January 19, 2025, due to the US government's concerns over potential user data collection and influence operations by the government of the People's Republic of China. However, the ban has yet to be enforced.
ByteDance is a privately-held global company, roughly 60 percent owned by global institutional investors (such as Blackrock, General Atlantic, and Susquehanna International Group), 20 percent owned by the company's founders, and 20 percent owned by its employees—including over 7,000 U.S.-based employees.
China's very own TikTok has over 1 billion active users, and it's the go-to social media platform for short videos. Douyin blends together user-generated content and e-commerce integration so flawlessly, making it a goldmine for marketers wanting to reach Chinese consumers.
Billionaire Elon Musk said that he was not interested in purchasing TikTok, the popular short-video app that the United States has been trying to ban over national security concerns with its Chinese owner ByteDance.
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The chairman of TikTok's parent company, the Beijing-based ByteDance, is one of China's richest people—and is only 35 years old.
Shou Zi Chew may be the CEO of Mark Zuckerberg's biggest competitor, TikTok, but at the start of his career, he worked for Zuckerberg as an intern at Facebook.
TikTok's Chinese owner ByteDance has signed binding agreements with American and global investors to operate its business in the US, the video platform's boss told employees on Thursday.
China. Despite being a Chinese-made app, the international version of TikTok does not function on local networks in mainland China or Hong Kong. Instead, the domestic version Douyin is available, presumably to shield Chinese users from politically sensitive content posted by foreign users.
“Which ByteDance has gone on record saying they will not sell even if they sell TikTok as a company. The [Chinese government] has no interest in selling that piece of technology because it is technically property of China.”
How do creators make money on TikTok? The most successful TikTok users make money through a combination of revenue streams that can include sponsorships, fundraising drives, product sales, and accepting tips. TikTok users can also promote products through an affiliate link to get paid directly from brands.
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But the good news for TikTok users and content creators is that they will likely be able to continue using the app even after the ban. But you really shouldn't — hard though it may seem, to stay safe you should delete the app even though legally it doesn't look like that will be enforced.
Tiktok is onomatopoeia for the sound of a ticking clock. It has that name because Tiktok videos have a maximum length of 59 seconds, often shorter.
Account information: Your name, username, profile picture, email, phone number, and passwords are all collected by the app. Information about your contacts: If you grant it permission, TikTok can access information about your phone and social network contacts, including their names, phone numbers, and email addresses.