Who Currently Owns TikTok?

It’s a question that has been asked by many in the tech world as the popular video-sharing platform continues to rise in popularity.

In short, it is owned by the Chinese technology company ByteDance. ByteDance acquired Musical.ly, which was the predecessor of TikTok, in 2017 and merged the two platforms shortly after.

ByteDance is a relatively new company, founded in 2012 by Zhang Yiming and headquartered in Beijing. It specializes in machine learning and artificial intelligence technologies, but it also owns a network of mobile apps such as TikTok, Vigo Video, Helo, and TopBuzz. The company has become one of the largest tech companies in China, with an estimated value of $75 billion as of 2019.

ByteDance’s acquisition of Musical.ly marked its first foray into international markets and allowed it to launch TikTok globally. Since then, TikTok has become one of the most popular social media platforms around the world, with an estimated 800 million active users as of 2018.

ByteDance has made several moves to ensure its control over TikTok since acquiring Musical.ly. In 2018, it announced plans to move its international headquarters from China to either Singapore or Ireland so that it could be better positioned for global expansion and avoid potential issues due to Chinese censorship laws. Additionally, ByteDance created a subsidiary called ByteDance Global that would oversee operations outside of China and handle partnerships with other companies such as Microsoft and Oracle.

Conclusion

It is clear that ByteDance is firmly established as the owner of TikTok since acquiring Musical.ly back in 2017. With its focus on artificial intelligence technologies and international expansion plans for its network of mobile apps, ByteDance looks set to continue dominating the video-sharing space for years to come.