We all know about the TikTok app, which today has over 1 billion active users worldwide — a truly staggering number. But do you know the man behind TikTok's creation and global success?
That man is Zhang Yiming, who came from a modest family and played the most crucial role in building TikTok through his company, ByteDance. He also created other popular apps like CapCut and Resso, but TikTok became his most successful product.
Zhang faced many failures and massive challenges along the way. Yet he never gave up. His perseverance turned him into a billionaire at a young age, and soon he made it into the list of the world’s top 100 richest people. His life journey is not only inspiring but also truly fascinating. Read on to discover more!
Early Life: A Curious Mind with a Passion for Tech
Zhang was born on April 1, 1983, in Longyan, Fujian, China. His father was a civil servant, managing an electronic processing factory for the government.
Being the only child, Zhang’s parents encouraged him early on to follow his passion. His father often invited colleagues over for meals, where they would talk about technology, innovation, and factory projects — all of which deeply fascinated young Zhang.
This environment helped shape Zhang’s thinking toward invention and entrepreneurship. He performed excellently in subjects like math and science and enrolled in high school with strong academic abilities. Initially, chemistry was his favorite subject, but after a lab explosion, he shifted his interest to computer science, which felt safer and more aligned with his logical thinking.
University Life at Nankai: Scholar and Soulmate
In 2001, Zhang enrolled at Nankai University to study Software Engineering. Known for his calm nature and intelligence, he quickly became one of the most respected students on campus. Professors admired his brilliance, and students often turned to him for tech help.
One day during winter, while solving a problem in his room, Zhang received a message from a girl in college asking for help with her broken computer. He agreed to help, and when they met, both liked each other instantly. They soon started dating, and their unique bond included playing chess and discussing business strategies on their dates.
Zhang graduated in 2005, and due to his tight schedule, he married his college sweetheart quietly — no photos, no honeymoon.
Early Career: Searching for Success Through Startups
After graduation, Zhang and his wife moved to Beijing, the city of dreams and opportunities. One evening, a former university friend called him with an offer to join a startup focused on identity and access management systems. Zhang joined, but the venture failed within a year.
In 2006, he joined another startup called Kuxun, a travel-based app, becoming its fifth employee and first engineer. By 2008, Zhang wanted to understand how large corporations operate, so he left Kuxun and joined Microsoft.
However, he didn’t enjoy the rigid corporate environment and soon joined another startup, Fanfou, which unfortunately failed.
Meanwhile, Kuxun started doing well and was eventually acquired by TripAdvisor in 2009. Seizing the opportunity, Zhang took control of Kuxun’s real estate business and launched his first company, 99fang.com, which helped users buy and find real estate online. The project gained traction and grew rapidly.
The Birth of ByteDance
By 2012, 99fang.com had become well-known. But Zhang noticed a major trend — the rise of smartphone users in China. He didn’t want to miss this wave.
So, he left his own company and, along with his friend Liang Rubo, rented an apartment in Beijing for $3,000/month to launch ByteDance. Despite the small office, Zhang told his team, “Our office might be small, but our dreams are big.”
Their first idea was a news app for smartphone users. Raising funds was incredibly tough. Zhang pitched his idea to over 30 venture capitalists, but none of them were interested.
Despite the rejections, in August 2012, he launched Toutiao, a news app powered by AI. Slowly, it gained popularity. Within two years, it attracted over 1.3 million daily users. The same VC firm (Sequoia Capital) that had rejected him earlier now invested $5 million.
The Rise of TikTok: From Launch to Global Dominance
In 2016, Zhang launched a video-sharing app in China called Douyin. It became a massive hit and broke user growth records within a year.
Realizing the potential, Zhang decided to take Douyin global under a new name — TikTok — and launched it internationally in 2017. The app quickly exploded in popularity, reaching over 50 million global users in just one year.
However, another app named Musical.ly was a strong competitor. In November 2017, Zhang acquired Musical.ly for $1 billion and merged it with TikTok in 2018. By the end of the year, TikTok’s global user base surpassed 250 million.
Despite already having many successful apps, Zhang didn’t stop innovating. He kept launching new apps, most of which became viral hits.
By late 2018, ByteDance was valued at $75 billion, surpassing Uber to become the most valuable startup in the world.
Facing Controversies and Challenges
With TikTok and other apps spreading globally, concerns began to rise in countries like the U.S. over data security and user privacy.
In September 2020, the U.S. Department of Justice referred to ByteDance as a "mouthpiece" of the Chinese Communist Party, and many countries — including India — banned TikTok and other ByteDance products.
Despite the bans, TikTok's popularity continued to rise. By 2021, it had over 1 billion global users, a significant milestone in tech history.
Achievements and Impact
Zhang believes in using technology for good. In 2020, ByteDance introduced a feature in TikTok to help find missing persons in Tokyo, successfully helping locate over 13,000 lost people that year.
In 2021, Zhang stepped down as ByteDance’s CEO to focus on long-term strategy and innovation.
His years of hard work and resilience paid off — ByteDance’s total valuation exceeded $312 billion, and Zhang became one of the youngest billionaires in the world.
As per Forbes, Zhang’s current net worth is $65.5 billion, making him the 23rd richest person in the world and 3rd in China.
Despite his immense success, Zhang still leads a simple life and enjoys reading biographies of other inspiring people.
Conclusion
Zhang Yiming, born into a modest family, rose to heights very few can imagine — becoming one of the world’s wealthiest and most impactful tech entrepreneurs. He faced failures, overcame international criticism, and stood tall against powerful governments.
His journey teaches us valuable lessons about innovation, resilience, and the mindset needed to build a world-changing business. Thank you for reading.
👉 What inspired you the most about Zhang Yiming’s journey? Let us know in the comments below!
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