Reuters
ByteDance’s value for private-equity investors is approaching $400 billion. That would mean an even bigger fortune for Zhang Yiming.
Just last year, the world’s most valuable startup, ByteDance Ltd., was being squeezed from all sides.
The Trump administration wanted the Chinese firm, which owns the ubiquitous TikTok video-sharing platform, to get rid of assets. Beijing was cracking down on tech businesses, and India blacklisted some of its social-media apps.
For all the obstacles, ByteDance kept growing. Now its founder, 38-year-old Zhang Yiming, is among the world’s richest people -- a distinction that lately has carried increased risks in China.