Zhang Yiming Bio | Wiki
Zhang Yiming is a popular Chinese internet entrepreneur who founded ByteDance in 2012 and developed the news aggregator Toutiao and the video-sharing platform TikTok, previously known as Musical.ly. As of October 2022, his personal wealth was estimated at US$55 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index (US$49.5 billion, as per Forbes), making him the second-wealthiest person in China, after Zhong Shanshan.
ByteDance CEO Liang Rubo took the helm from Zhang in 2021 and has been based in Singapore. On November 4, 2021, he stepped down as CEO of ByteDance, completing a leadership handover reported in May 2021. Forbes named him in its 2013 China 30 Under 30 list. In 2018, Zhang was included in Fortune magazine’s 40 Under 40 list. He was named one of Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People of 2019.
In February 2006, he became the fifth employee and the first engineer at the travel website Kuxun, and he was promoted to technical director a year later. He left Kuxun to work for Microsoft but felt stifled by its corporate rules. Zhang soon left Microsoft to join the startup Fanfou, which eventually failed. In 2009, when Expedia was about to acquire Kuxun, he took over Kuxun’s real estate search business and started 99fang.com, his first company.
Zhang Yiming Age
Zhang was born on April 1, 1983, in Longyan, Fujian, China. He is 40 years old. Zhang celebrates his birthday on April 1, every year.
Zhang Yiming Height
He is a man of above-average stature. Zhang stands at a height of 5 ft 10 in ( Approx. 1.75m ).
Zhang Yiming Family | Parents
He was born in Longyan, Fujian, China, the only son of civil servants, as per a Bloomberg News report in 2017. Zhang holds Chinese nationality. He was raised in the city of Longyan. He was brought up in a middle-class family, with both of his parents working in the government sector. His father worked as an official in the local government, while his mother worked as a teacher.
Zhang Yiming Wife
Zhang has been married to his lovely wife Grace Gao, whom he met at Nankai University. Grace is also a successful entrepreneur and co-founder of the Chinese tech company Maimai, which operates a professional social networking platform similar to LinkedIn. The two were married in 2015 in a private ceremony attended by family and close friends.
Zhang Yiming Education
In 2001, Zhang enrolled at Nankai University in Tianjin, where he majored in microelectronics prior to changing to software engineering, and graduated in 2005.
Zhang Yiming TikTok
In September 2015, ByteDance launched its video-sharing app TikTok (known as Douyin in China) with little fanfare. The product became an instant hit with millennials and became popular worldwide. ByteDance purchased Musical.ly a year later for US$800 million and integrated it into TikTok.
Zhang Yiming House
He owns a house in Singapore where he resides with his wife. Presently, Zhang has not mentioned any details regarding when he bought the home to the public.
Zhang Yiming ByteDance
He works as the main founder of Chinese tech giant ByteDance, best known for its insanely popular app TikTok, which has over 1 billion users worldwide. Zhang stepped down as chairman of ByteDance in November 2021 following resigning as CEO in May of that year, reportedly under pressure from the Chinese government.
He owns 20% of ByteDance, whose valuation has taken a hit lately amid speculation that TikTok may be banned in the U.S. market. In September 2020, the United States Department of Justice called him a “mouthpiece” of the Chinese Communist Party in a legal filing. In May 2021, he said that he would step down as CEO and be replaced by Liang Rubo. The New York Times reported in May 2023 that a former employee accused him in a lawsuit of facilitating bribes to Lu Wei.
Zhang Yiming Net Worth
Zhang gets his wealth from his work as the main founder of Chinese tech giant ByteDance, best known for its insanely popular app TikTok, which has over 1 billion users worldwide. Therefore, Zhang has accumulated a decent fortune over the years. Zhang’s net worth is $39.1 billion.
Zhang Yiming Net Worth Before TikTok
He is an internet entrepreneur who before TikTok had a net worth of $35 billion.
How Old Is Zhang Yiming
Zhang is a 40-year-old who was born on April 1, 1983, in Longyan, Fujian, China. Zhang celebrates his birthday on April 1, every year.
Where Does Zhang Yiming Live
He resides in Singapore.
Why Did Zhang Yiming Created TikTok
He wanted to create a new platform powered by artificial intelligence, different from China’s search engine Baidu. She is well known for its insanely popular app TikTok, which has more than 1 billion users.
Zhang’s Social Media Account
Twitter – @Amb_Yiming