ByteDance

ByteDance is a Beijing-based company that operates some of the world’s most popular social media platforms, including TikTok and Douyin. Founded in 2012, the company has quickly grown into one of the largest and most innovative technology firms globally, with a focus on artificial intelligence and machine learning. Notable executives include founder Zhang Yiming, CEO Liang Rubo and TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew. ByteDance has recently faced scrutiny from governments and competitors over data privacy and national security concerns. Despite these challenges, the company remains a major player in the global technology industry, with a growing footprint in markets around the world.

Recent Articles about ByteDance

Sunday Insights

The Vibe Coding Effect? Apple’s App Store Saw 84% Jump in New Apps in Quarter

By Aaron Tilley · Apr 5, 2026 8:00am PDT · 1 comment

For much of the last decade, the number of new apps launching in Apple’s App Store each year went into a tailspin, falling a whopping 48% between 2016 and 2024, according to data from research firm Sensor Tower. At least that was the case until last year. In 2025, the number of new apps that showed up in the App Store globally suddenly exploded,... For much of the last decade, the number of new apps launching in Apple’s App Store each year went...

Art by Mike Sullivan

DeepSeek’s New AI Model Will Be a Victory for Huawei

By Qianer Liu · Apr 3, 2026 6:00am PDT

When DeepSeek introduces its next-generation model, likely in the next few weeks, it will mark a milestone in China’s yearslong quest for semiconductor self-sufficiency. That’s because the new model, called V4, will be able to run on the latest chips designed by Huawei Technologies. And in preparation for V4’s launch, Chinese tech giants,... When DeepSeek introduces its next-generation model, likely in the next few weeks, it will mark a...

TBPN hosts John Coogan (left) and Jordi Hays. Photo courtesy of TBPN.

Why OpenAI's TBPN Deal is No Joke

By Martin Peers · Apr 2, 2026 5:00pm PDT · 2 comments

OpenAI’s shuttering of Sora wasn’t meant to be the end of its adventures in video generation, it turns out. Instead of using AI to generate videos, OpenAI wants to use videos to drive AI adoption.That’s one way of looking at the company’s rather startling decision on Thursday to buy TBPN, the Silicon Valley talk show that specializes in schmoozy... OpenAI’s shuttering of Sora wasn’t meant to be the end of its adventures in video generation, it...

Art by Clark Miller; Getty Images.

Midjourney Is Profitable and Chasing Hardware Dreams. But Can It Survive Google?

By Jemima McEvoy · Mar 27, 2026 9:09am PDT · 3 comments

Art by Clark Miller; Getty Images.

Midjourney Is Profitable and Chasing Hardware Dreams. But Can It Survive Google?

By Jemima McEvoy · Mar 27, 2026 9:09am PDT · 3 comments

Over much of the past year, David Holz, the 37-year-old founder of Midjourney, has devoted himself to a single task: reassuring fans of his AI image-making tool that a new, significant update—version 8—would indeed arrive soon. Initially, Holz said it might come at the end of 2025. That date slipped to January. Then February. Then... Over much of the past year, David Holz, the 37-year-old founder of Midjourney, has devoted...

Tencent Bets on OpenClaw to Make Up for Lost Ground in China AI Battle

By Qianer Liu and Juro Osawa · Mar 27, 2026 6:00am PDT · 1 comment

Shortly after OpenClaw shot to popularity in January, a newly hired product manager at Tencent in China became obsessed with the open-source software for building AI agents. That manager, Shuyu Zhang, quickly came up with the idea for QClaw, an OpenClaw-based agent that can be installed with one click and controlled with Tencent’s WeChat app,... Shortly after OpenClaw shot to popularity in January, a newly hired product manager at Tencent in...

Art by Mike Sullivan

ByteDance Suspends Launch of Video AI Model After Copyright Disputes With Hollywood

By Juro Osawa and Qianer Liu · Mar 14, 2026 9:00am PDT

ByteDance has put on hold the global launch of its latest video-generation model, Seedance 2.0, due to a string of copyright disputes with major Hollywood studios and streaming platforms, according to two people with direct knowledge of the situation. The TikTok parent released Seedance 2.0 to consumers and businesses in China last month, and... ByteDance has put on hold the global launch of its latest video-generation model, Seedance 2.0,...

Nscale CEO Josh Payne. Screenshot via YouTube/Nscale.

Nvidia Cloud Ally Nscale in Talks to Buy a Major U.S. Data Center Site Ahead of IPO

By Anissa Gardizy · Mar 12, 2026 4:35pm PDT

Nscale, an upstart cloud provider heavily backed by Nvidia whose customers include OpenAI and Microsoft, is in talks to take control of one of the largest available sites for AI data centers in the U.S., according to people with knowledge of the talks and fundraising documents viewed by The Information. A deal to buy the site, located in West... Nscale, an upstart cloud provider heavily backed by Nvidia whose customers include OpenAI and...

Pony Ma, CEO, of Tencent Holdings. Photo by Justin Chin/ Getty Images

Tencent Joins China’s AI Agent Race With ‘Top-Secret’ WeChat Project

By Qianer Liu and Juro Osawa · Mar 10, 2026 6:00am PDT

Pony Ma, CEO, of Tencent Holdings. Photo by Justin Chin/ Getty Images

Tencent Joins China’s AI Agent Race With ‘Top-Secret’ WeChat Project

By Qianer Liu and Juro Osawa · Mar 10, 2026 6:00am PDT

Tencent Holdings is secretly building a new AI agent for its hugely popular WeChat messaging app, in hopes of leapfrogging rivals like Alibaba Group and ByteDance in the race to dominate China’s domestic AI market, according to four people familiar with the project. The project could dramatically widen how AI agents, which take actions on... Tencent Holdings is secretly building a new AI agent for its hugely popular WeChat messaging app,...

Art by Clark Miller

Demand from Alibaba and Other Giants Boosts China’s Homegrown Memory Suppliers

By Qianer Liu · Mar 5, 2026 6:00am PST

Chinese tech heavyweights including Alibaba Group, ByteDance and Tencent Holdings are turning to domestic chipmakers to ease the pain from a deepening global shortage of memory chips, according to four people with direct knowledge of the matter. The three companies are in talks to buy more standard memory chips—known as DRAM, or dynamic... Chinese tech heavyweights including Alibaba Group, ByteDance and Tencent Holdings are turning to...

Art via Getty Images

OpenAI’s Next AI Model Will Have ‘Extreme’ Reasoning

By Stephanie Palazzolo · Mar 4, 2026 7:00am PST · 1 comment

OpenAI’s next GPT model is coming—and soon, according to a person with knowledge of it.Among the highlights, the new model, GPT-5.4, will have more than double the context window of the current GPT-5.2 model. That means the model can handle queries with many more words or data, up to 1 million tokens compared to 400,000 tokens today, the person... OpenAI’s next GPT model is coming—and soon, according to a person with knowledge of it.Among the...

Art by Clark Miller.

OpenClaw Rips Through China’s Tech and Startup Landscape

By Juro Osawa · Mar 4, 2026 6:00am PST

OpenClaw mania has swept across China. Last month, at a five-day online hackathon organized by a Hangzhou-based AI startup, one contestant developed the equivalent of Tinder for AI agents seeking love interests on behalf of their human owners. Another created a recruiting site where job seekers’ AI agents talk to employers’ AI agents. A third... OpenClaw mania has swept across China. Last month, at a five-day online hackathon organized by a...