Koch vs Zhang Yiming

Koch, Inc. and ByteDance.

The differences

Forbes puts Zhang Yiming about $16.2B ahead of Julia Koch.Forbes figures from 4 Sep 2026 and 22 Sep 2026.
Julia Koch: through marriage. Zhang Yiming: co-founded it.
Julia Koch is about 20 years older than Zhang Yiming.
Julia Koch is from United States; Zhang Yiming is from China.

Put someone else on either side

Koch

Zhang Yiming

Net worth, Forbes: $84.6BForbes, 22 Sep 2026; $101BForbes, 4 Sep 2026
Net worth, Bloomberg: $78.5BBloomberg, 10 Oct 2026; $105BBloomberg, 10 Oct 2026
Forbes rank: No. 24Real-Time list, 22 Sep 2026; No. 28Real-Time list, 16 Jun 2026
Billionaire since: 2020Forbes named her the richest newcomer on its 2020 World's Billionaires list, at $38.2 billion, after David Koch died in 2019; 2018First year on Forbes' World's Billionaires list: Forbes says he 'debuted' on it in March 2018 with $4 billion

How it started: Through marriageShe and her three children inherited the 42% Koch stake of her husband David Koch, who died in 2019; they married in 1996; Co-founded itByteDance was founded in 2012 by a team led by Zhang Yiming and Liang Rubo; Forbes labels him self-made
Main source: The family's inherited stake in Koch, Inc.Koch says it has diversified from energy into consumer, technology, communications, healthcare and real estate; ByteDance stock (TikTok, Douyin, Toutiao)Bloomberg: 'Zhang Yiming's wealth is derived from his stake in ByteDance'
Companies: Koch, Inc.Koch, Inc.: Board member; ByteDanceByteDance: Co-founder; no executive role
Biggest stake: Koch, Inc.42% owned; ByteDance21% owned

Born: 1963Iowa, United States; 1983Yongding District, Longyan, Fujian, China
Country: United StatesLives in New York City, United States; ChinaLives in Singapore
Education: Bachelor's degreeBachelor's degree, University of Central Arkansas; Bachelor's degreeBachelor of Engineering, Nankai University (graduated 2005)
Parents: Her family ran Flesher's, a used-furniture shop in Indianola, Iowa, where her father Frederic worked; The only son of civil servants, raised in Longyan, Fujian province

Giving Pledge: Not a signer; Not a signer
Foundation: Julia Koch Family FoundationFounded in 2023 with her children; she is also president of the David H. Koch Foundation; Not stated
Lifetime giving: $1.3BJulia Koch Family Foundation, 17 Oct 2026. 'More than $1.3 billion' given by David and Julia Koch together, through the David H. Koch Charitable Foundation and personal giving; a joint figure, not hers alone. Date is when the page was read; Not stated

Role now: On the boardDirector of Koch, Inc.; chair of the Julia Koch Family Foundation and president of the David H. Koch Foundation; Founder, no executive roleCo-founder of ByteDance; left the CEO post in May 2021 and the chairmanship later that year
Successor: No member of her family is named in a Koch executive role in the cited sources; Charles Koch is chairman and co-CEO with Dave RobertsonChase Koch is an executive vice president of Koch; Liang Rubo, ByteDance co-founder, became CEO in 2021 and is chairman
Public office: None found; None found
Legal record: None found; None found