ByteDance is swallowing the internet – in China and beyond

Since it was founded in 2012 ByteDance has grown to become the world’s premier application factory. The Chinese giant, which began as a news aggregator, is these days best known as the company behind TikTok and its domestic equivalent, Douyin, which together are used monthly by close to 3 billion people around the world. The company churns out so many other mobile apps that its employees struggle to keep track. Its portfolio now spans everything from video editing and workplace collaboration to chatbots. A deal consummated in January to sell 80 per cent of the American division of TikTok to…