Big Tech

ByteDance's US Backers Say China Growth to Counter Any TikTok Ban Damage

Some American ByteDance investors say they don’t need US TikTok for success

Signage for Bytedance Ltd. on a building in Shanghai, China, on Thursday, March 14, 2024. The US House of Representatives passed a bill to ban TikTok in the US unless its Chinese owner Bytedance sells the video-sharing app, mounting the most serious challenge yet to a service that's used by 170 million Americans but critics call a national-security threat.Photographer: Qilai Shen/Bloomberg

Provide news feedback or report an error

Confidential tip?

Send a tip to our reporters

Site feedback:

Take our Survey

By Alexandra S. Levine and Sarah McBride

February 19, 2025 at 5:01 AM UTC

This article is for subscribers only.

As TikTok fights to keep its popular video app available in the US, investors in parent company ByteDance Ltd. are being forced to re-evaluate financial prospects for a business valued at more than $300 billion as recently as late last year.

Some of these American shareholders argue that, while a ban will take a near-term toll on their stakes, ByteDance's China business is the real driving force behind the lofty valuation and an eventual payday.