ByteDance Ltd., a prominent Chinese internet technology company, is headquartered in Haidian, Beijing. Despite its operational base in China, the company is officially incorporated in the Cayman Islands.
1995: Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995
ByteDance's lobbying efforts in the U.S. are led by Michael Beckerman. According to disclosures filed under the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995, ByteDance has lobbied various U.S. government bodies.
2009: 99fang.com Founded
Zhang Yiming and Liang Rubo co-founded 99fang.com in 2009, a real estate search engine that would later serve as a foundation for their future endeavors.
March 2012: Neihan Duanzi Launched
ByteDance launched its first app, Neihan Duanzi, in March 2012, allowing users to share jokes, memes, and funny videos.
August 2012: Toutiao Launched
ByteDance launched the first version of its news and content platform Toutiao in August 2012, marking a significant milestone for the company.
August 2012: Launch of Toutiao
Toutiao, launched in August 2012, started out as a news recommendation engine and gradually evolved into a platform delivering content in various formats, such as texts, images, question-and-answer posts, microblogs, and videos.
2012: ByteDance Founded
ByteDance, the company that would go on to create TikTok and Douyin, was founded in 2012 by Zhang Yiming, Liang Rubo, and their team. The company also developed the news platform Toutiao.
2012: Beginnings of Toutiao
In early 2012, Zhang Yiming, Liang Rubo, and other 99fang employees began developing a news aggregation app utilizing big data algorithms to personalize content, which would later become Toutiao.
2012: Zhang Yiming Becomes Chairman and CEO
Zhang Yiming served as ByteDance's chairman and CEO from its inception in 2012.
January 2013: Plan for English Toutiao
In January 2013, ByteDance executives were presented with a four-part plan for the future, which included building an English version of Toutiao to target English-speaking countries.
January 2014: Creation of Toutiaohao
In January 2014, ByteDance created the "Toutiaohao" platform to attract more content creators.
2014: Internal CCP Committee Established
ByteDance established an internal Chinese Communist Party (CCP) committee in 2014, raising concerns about potential influence on content and operations.
March 2016: ByteDance AI Lab Established
ByteDance established its research arm, ByteDance AI Lab, in March 2016, with Wei-Ying Ma, formerly of Microsoft Research Asia, at its helm.
September 2016: Launch of Douyin
First released to the public in September 2016, Douyin, previously named A.me, is the Chinese version of TikTok. The application is a short-form video social media platform with more advanced features, such as e-commerce, compared to its international counterpart.
December 2016: Investment in BABE
ByteDance invested in the Indonesian news recommendation platform BABE in December 2016.
2016: Launch of Xigua Video
Initially launched as Toutiao Video in 2016, Xigua Video is an online video-sharing platform featuring user-created short and mid-length videos.
February 2017: Flipagram Acquired
ByteDance acquired Flipagram in February 2017, which was later rebranded to Vigo Video (Hypstar) in July 2017.
July 2017: Flipagram Rebranded to Vigo Video
ByteDance rebranded Flipagram to Vigo Video (Hypstar) in July 2017.
September 2017: Launch of TikTok
First released to the public in September 2017, TikTok is a video-sharing social networking service used to make short-form videos from genres like dance, comedy, and education.
November 2017: musical.ly and News Republic Acquired
ByteDance made two notable acquisitions in November 2017: musical.ly for an estimated US$1 billion and News Republic from Cheetah Mobile.
November 2017: Acquisition of Musical.ly
On 9 November 2017, ByteDance acquired Shanghai-based social media start-up Musical.ly for up to US$1 billion.
2017: Acquisition of Flipagram
In 2017, Toutiao acquired Flipagram. ByteDance later expanded Toutiao's features to include various new functionalities.
April 2018: Removal and Shutdown of Apps by NRTA
In April 2018, China's state media regulator ordered the temporary removal of Toutiao and Neihan Duanzi from Chinese app stores, accusing Neihan Duanzi of hosting vulgar content. The following day, Neihan Duanzi announced its permanent shutdown. ByteDance responded by promising to cooperate further with authorities to promote their policies.
August 2018: Integration of Musical.ly and Flipagram
On 2 August 2018, ByteDance combined Musical.ly and prior acquisition Flipagram into TikTok, keeping the TikTok name.
August 2018: musical.ly Merged with TikTok
ByteDance merged musical.ly with TikTok on August 2, 2018, to expand TikTok's global reach while retaining the TikTok name.
December 2018: ByteDance Sues Huxiu
ByteDance filed a defamation lawsuit against Chinese technology news site Huxiu in December 2018 following a report alleging the spread of fake news on ByteDance's Indian-language news app Helo.
2018: Establishment of Beijing Academy of Artificial Intelligence
In 2018, ByteDance played a key role in helping to establish the Beijing Academy of Artificial Intelligence, an initiative supported by the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Beijing municipal government.
2018: Neihan Duanzi Shut Down
Despite amassing over 200 million users, Neihan Duanzi was shut down by the Chinese government in 2018.
2018: Litigation with Tencent Begins
ByteDance and its affiliates initiated a series of unfair competition lawsuits against Tencent in 2018, alleging content blocking.
November 2019: CAC Order to Remove Information
In November 2019, the Cyberspace Administration of China ordered ByteDance to remove slanderous information on Fang Zhimin from Toutiao.
2019: First Reported Payments to Federal Lobbyists
ByteDance first reported payments to federal lobbyists in 2019, marking the beginning of its lobbying efforts in the United States.
2019: Launch of Lark
First released to the public in 2019, Lark is ByteDance's enterprise collaboration platform, originally developed as an internal tool.
2019: Formation of Joint Ventures
In 2019, ByteDance formed joint ventures with Beijing Time, a publisher controlled by the Beijing municipal CCP committee, and with Shanghai Dongfang, a state media firm in Shanghai.
2019: FTC Fines TikTok for COPPA Violation, ByteDance Introduces Kids-Only Mode
In 2019, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) fined ByteDance's TikTok for violating the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act. As a result, ByteDance implemented a kids-only mode in TikTok that restricts certain features like video uploads, profile creation, direct messaging, and commenting on videos, while still allowing users to watch and record content.
2019: Launch of Nuverse
Initially launched in 2019, Nuverse has become a video game publisher.
April 2020: Launch of CapCut
First released to the public in April 2020, CapCut is a video editing software made for beginners.
May 2020: Kevin Mayer Joins ByteDance
Kevin Mayer, formerly of Disney, joined ByteDance in May 2020.
June 2020: Toutiao's Missing Person Alerts
By June 2020, Toutiao's missing person alerts project had helped find 13,116 missing persons.
June 2020: Kevin Mayer Becomes CEO of TikTok and COO of ByteDance
From June 2020, Kevin Mayer served as the CEO of TikTok and COO of ByteDance.
June 2020: India Bans TikTok and Other Chinese Apps
The Indian government banned 59 Chinese apps, including TikTok and CapCut, in June 2020, citing national security concerns.
August 2020: Kevin Mayer Resigns
Kevin Mayer resigned from his positions at ByteDance and TikTok on August 26, 2020.
August 2020: China Updates Export Control Rules Amidst US Scrutiny of TikTok
In August 2020, China announced new export control rules that experts believe could give Chinese authorities more control over any potential sale of ByteDance's technology to foreign companies. This came amidst scrutiny of TikTok by US lawmakers concerned about potential surveillance by the Chinese government.
October 2020: Vigo Video Shut Down
Vigo Video was permanently shut down on October 31, 2020.
January 2021: Fine for Spreading Vulgar Information
In January 2021, Chinese regulators fined ByteDance for spreading vulgar information.
March 2021: Indian Government Freezes ByteDance's Bank Accounts
The Indian government froze ByteDance's bank accounts in March 2021 for alleged tax evasion, a claim that ByteDance refuted.
March 2021: Allegations of Circumventing Apple's Privacy Policies
In March 2021, the Financial Times reported on ByteDance's alleged involvement with other Chinese companies in an attempt to bypass Apple's privacy policies.
March 2021: ByteDance Fined for Antitrust Violations
In March 2021, The State Administration for Market Regulation in China fined ByteDance along with other companies for violating antitrust laws.
March 2021: ByteDance Valuation
As of March 2021, ByteDance was estimated to be valued at $250 billion in private trades.
April 2021: BytePlus Division Created
ByteDance launched BytePlus in April 2021, a new division aimed at distributing the software framework behind TikTok, allowing others to create similar apps.
May 2021: Illegal Data Collection
In May 2021, the Cyberspace Administration of China stated that ByteDance had engaged in illegal data collection and misuse of personal information.
August 2021: Pico Acquired
ByteDance acquired Pico, a virtual reality startup similar to Oculus, in August 2021.
2021: Liang Rubo Takes Over as CEO
Liang Rubo, co-founder of ByteDance, assumed the role of CEO in 2021.
2021: Disbanding of Joint Venture
In 2021, ByteDance announced that its partnership with Shanghai Dongfang had never been in operation and was subsequently disbanded.
April 2022: ByteDance to Report "Historical Nihilism" on Toutiao and Douyin
ByteDance announced in April 2022 that it would start reporting users on their platforms Toutiao and Douyin who posted content that went against the CCP's version of history, which they deemed "historical nihilism".
June 2022: Partnership with Shanghai United Media Group
In June 2022, ByteDance partnered with Shanghai United Media Group to launch a plan aimed at developing domestic and foreign influencers.
June 2022: Culture Clash at London Office
The Financial Times reported on a culture clash at ByteDance's London office in June 2022, leading to a significant number of employees leaving the company.
November 2022: CAC Orders ByteDance to Increase Censorship of COVID-19 Protests
During the COVID-19 protests in China in November 2022, the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) instructed ByteDance to censor content related to the protests.
December 2022: Taiwan Investigates ByteDance over Suspected Illegal Subsidiary
Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council launched an investigation into ByteDance in December 2022 on suspicion of running an illegal subsidiary in the country. The company allegedly registered "Tiktoktaiwan Co Ltd" in March, which later changed its name to "ByteDance Taiwan" in November.
2022: Launch of Marvel Snap
In 2022, the studio launched Marvel Snap in October worldwide, following closed alpha testing in the Philippines, and gradually entered open beta with the first country being New Zealand.
2022: Turkey Probes ByteDance for Potential Money Laundering and Terrorism Financing
Turkey's Financial Crimes Investigation Board (MASAK) started investigating ByteDance in 2022 regarding millions of dollars in fund transfers linked to TikTok accounts suspected of money laundering or terrorism financing.
March 2023: US Justice Department and FBI Investigate ByteDance for Tracking Journalists
The United States Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation launched an investigation into ByteDance in March 2023 after it was discovered that ByteDance employees had tracked journalists to uncover internal leaks. As a result, ByteDance dismissed four employees.
March 2023: Allegations of "Horse Racing" Practice
Former employees alleged that ByteDance engaged in a practice called "horse racing" in March 2023, where multiple teams developed the same product, and the team with the better-performing version received more support.
March 2023: CapCut's Popularity
As of March 2023, CapCut has more than 200 million active users each month, and it was the second-most downloaded app in the U.S. behind the app for Chinese discount retailer, Temu.
April 2023: Trademark Filed for 8th Note Press
ByteDance filed a trademark for a book publisher named 8th Note Press in April 2023.
July 2023: Lobbying Efforts in the U.S.
As of July 2023, ByteDance has spent more than $17.7 million in lobbying since it first reported payments to federal lobbyists in 2019. In 2023, the company spent $8.7 million on lobbying.
November 2023: Forbes Reports CAC Access of ByteDance's Feishu Tool
In November 2023, Forbes reported that the CAC and other Chinese government authorities accessed ByteDance's internal workplace tool, Feishu, before the 20th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party. Feishu reportedly contains sensitive information like "product network security, data security, personal information, and daily operations."
November 2023: Restructuring of Nuverse
In November 2023, Reuters reported ByteDance was restructuring Nuverse and retreating from gaming.
December 2023: ByteDance's Use of OpenAI's API
The Verge reported in December 2023 that ByteDance had used OpenAI's API for its generative AI projects, prompting OpenAI to suspend ByteDance's account pending investigation into potential terms of service violations.
2023: Central Bank of Ireland Scrutinizes ByteDance
In 2023, the Central Bank of Ireland investigated ByteDance's payment division for potential weaknesses in its anti-money laundering controls.
2023: G42 Invests in ByteDance
G42 acquired a stake in ByteDance in 2023.
January 2024: Shutdown of Resso in India
Resso will be shut down in India in January 2024, due to "local market conditions."
March 2024: US House Passes Bill to Force ByteDance to Divest TikTok
The US House of Representatives passed a bill in March 2024 that, if approved by the Senate and signed by the President, would compel ByteDance to sell off TikTok or face a ban on the platform.
April 2024: US Congress Passes Modified Bill Targeting TikTok
The United States Congress approved a revised version of the bill targeting TikTok in April 2024 as part of a foreign aid package.
May 2024: Layoffs in Global User Operations and Related Teams
ByteDance conducted layoffs in May 2024, affecting a "large percentage" of its global user operations, content, and marketing teams, with the global user operations team being dissolved and remaining employees reassigned.
June 2024: Whee Launched
ByteDance introduced Whee, an image-sharing and social networking service, in June 2024.
June 2024: Launch of Whee
Whee, an image-sharing and messaging app, launched to the public in June 2024, but not in the US.
2024: Litigation with Tencent Continues
As of early 2024, the legal battles between ByteDance and Tencent remained unresolved, primarily due to jurisdictional disagreements.
2024: $2.1 Million Ad Campaign
In the run-up to the 2024 United States Senate elections, ByteDance launched a $2.1 million ad campaign targeting US Senate districts with vulnerable Democrats.