ChinaCo-founded it
Zhang Yiming
Zhang Yiming co-founded ByteDance, the Beijing-based owner of TikTok and Douyin, in 2012 and led it until 2021; his fortune is his stake in the private company.
- Forbes estimate
- $101B
- Forbes, 4 Sep 2026
- Forbes rank
- No. 28
- 16 Jun 2026
- Stake in ByteDance
- 21%
- Net worth, Bloomberg
- $105B
- Bloomberg, 10 Oct 2026
- Born
- 1983
- Yongding District, Longyan, Fujian, China
- Education
- Bachelor's degree
- Bachelor of Engineering, Nankai University (graduated 2005)
- Giving Pledge
- Not a signer
Where the fortune sits
ByteDance stock (TikTok, Douyin, Toutiao)
ByteDance
social media and apps, founded 2012
TikTok's own court petition credited him with 21%, as cited by Bloomberg and quoted in a Supreme Court amicus brief; ByteDance is private and the voting split is not stated
TikTok petition to a US court (May 2024), undefined May 2024
Co-founder; no executive role
Where Zhang stands among 73
Everyone on the site, grouped by their answer. Zhang Yiming is outlined.
How the fortune started
Founded it
Founded it 42
Inherited and grew it 12
Built it up 8
Inherited it 6
Through marriage 5
Industry
Technology
Technology 24
Finance 10
Several industries 9
Metals and mining 6
Retail 4
Fashion and beauty 4
Media 3
Food and drink 3
Shipping 3
Crypto 2
Oil, gas and chemicals 2
Healthcare 1
Casinos and resorts 1
Property and sports 1
Giving Pledge
Not a signer
Not a signer 61
Signed 11
Not stated 1
Education
Bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree 27
Graduate degree 24
Left university without a degree 6
No university 5
Not stated 11
Role today
Founder, no executive role
Founder, no executive role 8
Runs the company 32
Chair, board or owner 25
No role 4
Retired 4
The person
- Born
- 1983Yongding District, Longyan, Fujian, China
- Citizenship
- China
- Lives in
- Singapore
- Education
- Bachelor's degreeBachelor of Engineering, Nankai University (graduated 2005)
- Parents
- The only son of civil servants, raised in Longyan, Fujian province
What they give
- Giving Pledge
- Not a signer
- Foundation
- Not statedA Longyan Education Bureau item from July 2026 reports a gift from him to the Fangmei education fund, but the excerpt is cut off and doesn't establish it as his giving vehicle
- Lifetime giving
- Not stated
Role and record
- Role now
- Founder, no executive roleCo-founder of ByteDance; left the CEO post in May 2021 and the chairmanship later that year
- Successor
- Liang Rubo, ByteDance co-founder, became CEO in 2021 and is chairman
- Public office
- None found
- Legal record
- None found
