Zhang Yiming, the founder of ByteDance, has become China’s richest person, with an estimated net worth of $57.5 billion as of March 27, 2025.
His wealth places him 24th among the world’s richest individuals, surpassing notable Chinese tycoons such as Tencent’s Ma Huateng, worth $56.6 billion, and Nongfu Spring’s Zhong Shanshan, valued at $54.1 billion.
Despite stepping back from an active management role, Zhang still wields significant influence over ByteDance, retaining more than 50% of the company’s voting rights.
Born on April 1, 1983, in Fujian, China, Zhang studied microelectronics and software engineering at Nankai University. He started his career at the travel website Kuxun before working at Microsoft. In 2012, he founded ByteDance, launching the news aggregator Toutiao and later the short-video platform Douyin, known internationally as TikTok. His vision and leadership have propelled ByteDance into one of the world’s most valuable tech companies.
