TikTok is owned by ByteDance Ltd., a privately held Chinese technology company founded in 2012 by Zhang Yiming and others. ByteDance also owns the Chinese version of TikTok called Douyin, among other digital platforms. TikTok operates globally but is managed through complex corporate structures with entities incorporated outside mainland China, including the Cayman Islands, Singapore, and the US. Due to concerns about national security and data privacy, there has been ongoing pressure and legislative action, particularly in the US, to require ByteDance to divest TikTok or face a ban. As of September 2025, the US and China have reportedly reached a framework deal for the US operations of TikTok to be sold to a consortium of US investors, pending confirmations from political leaders.
