Recently, The Information reported that ByteDance will initiate a new round of option buybacks: the buyback price for current employees will be $170 per share, and the buyback price for former employees will be $145 per share.

As of press time, ByteDance has not yet responded.

Pressure on Tencent

Compared to last year's buyback plan of $160 per share, this buyback price has increased.

In addition to the approximately 20% increase in the Nasdaq index over the past six months, recently, according to the same media, ByteDance's revenue in the third quarter of last year increased by 43% to reach $30.9 billion.

This figure is not only twice that of Meta but also directly outpaces Tencent's 10% growth in the same quarter.

Now the pressure is on Tencent, and it remains to be seen how Tencent will respond.

ByteDance's rapid growth is inseparable from the achievements of its advertising and e-commerce segments, and TikTok has played a crucial role.

Previously, there were reports that ByteDance, with a market value of $225 billion, achieved sales of $110 billion in 2023, surpassing Tencent. However, ByteDance has not responded to this.

If this news is true, TikTok has contributed significantly to these $110 billion.

With over 100 million daily active users, TikTok is bound to be coveted by others.

According to Reuters, a bipartisan group of US lawmakers proposed legislation on Tuesday giving ByteDance 165 days to divest TikTok or face a US ban. The bill is expected to undergo an initial vote on Thursday.

TikTok's spokesperson said that no matter how they try to disguise it, this bill is a complete ban on TikTok. This legislation would trample on the First Amendment rights of 170 million Americans and deprive 5 million small businesses of the platform they rely on for growth and job creation.

TikTok is already "accustomed" to US bans.

In 2020, ByteDance was required to complete the closing of the sale of TikTok's US business within 90 days; last May, the Republican governor of Montana signed a law banning the use of TikTok statewide, effective January 1, 2024.

This ban goes far beyond previous regulations that only prohibited the use of TikTok on government-owned devices and networks.

However, this was quickly opposed.

Late last year, a federal judge in Montana halted the state's first-ever statewide ban on TikTok, ruling that the ban was clearly not intended to protect Montana's consumers but was targeted at foreign governments.

Accusing TikTok of misconduct without evidence is completely "nonsense." Subsequently, TikTok and creators on the platform separately sued the state of Montana.

Justice may be delayed, but it will not be denied.

Will it Go Public?

Amidst all the noise and commotion, the topic of "will ByteDance go public" remains an everlasting one.

Although option buybacks are an annual "routine" for ByteDance, the term "IPO" is often mentioned as an additional keyword.

As the only internet unicorn that has not gone public, is ByteDance really not planning to do so?

Several years ago, ByteDance's current CEO, Liang Rubo, hired Gao Zhun, a "specialist in IPOs," as CFO. Gao has provided legal services for the listing and other capital market financing projects of Meituan, JD.com, Pinduoduo, Xiaomi, and others.

Shortly after, several ByteDance companies changed their names to Douyin. Among them, ByteDance (Hong Kong) Limited has been renamed Douyin Group (Hong Kong) Limited.

This not only suggests that Douyin may be spun off but also indicates that ByteDance plans to go public in Hong Kong?

Amid multiple signals, ByteDance has continuously refuted rumors.

Amidst the smoke and mirrors, the answer to the question of "going public" remains ambiguous, but it is certain that ByteDance is not in a hurry to "go public".

Closing Thoughts

ByteDance founder Zhang Yiming once said, "Running fast is the most important thing."

Over the years, whether it's expanding overseas business or maintaining steady growth in domestic business, ByteDance has understood it all.

For example, in recent years, AI has become increasingly popular. Multiple departments under ByteDance are increasing their investment in AI research and development, not only establishing a new AI department called Flow but also launching seven AI-based products within half a year, covering areas such as conversation, tools, and interactive scenarios.

Recently, ByteDance's cloud computing service, Volcano Engine, launched the "TrafficRoute DNS Suite" service.

It is reported that this suite is a "public DNS" service that can provide faster address resolution speed for domestic users while resisting external DDoS attacks through services such as "traffic cleaning" and "IP blacklist".

From obscurity to soaring globally, ByteDance is waiting for the right moment. Please give it a little more time.