Zhang Yiming
1983- · Chinese · Digital Age
Known for: Founder of ByteDance/TikTok, first Chinese app to achieve global dominance
Founded ByteDance 2012. Developed the algorithm powering TikTok (Douyin in China)—1.5B+ users, first Chinese social media to go global.
Intensely private, analytical, algorithm-obsessed. Stepped down 2021. Faced US political pressure over data security. One of China's richest people.
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