Why is TikTok such an online success? Ask Drake, Jane Fonda and its 800 million other monthly users

Video app TikTok has been downloaded 2 billion times and has 800 million monthly users

With millions of people in lockdown around the world, the world’s most valuable start-up is only getting more popular

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TikTok has been downloaded more than 1.65 billion times and is the most valuable start-up in the world. Photo: Shutterstock

Published: 5:00am, 10 Apr 2020Updated: 6:40am, 10 Apr 2020

TikTok has gone viral. Millions of bored people trapped at home are hooked on the video app for the latest dance moves and more. Owner ByteDance is getting a gold mine of user data and a bigger audience for a follow-up hit. But the unprecedented global success for a Chinese start-up comes with uncharted risks.

ByteDance’s first big hit was news aggregator Toutiao, which became a magnet for advertisers in China. But the real success story is TikTok, the social network that lets users share short video clips of themselves singing, dancing and goofing around.

The app has been downloaded roughly 2 billion times, according to research outfit Sensor Tower – a level of global success even Chinese tech titans Alibaba and Tencent haven’t achieved.

The Beijing-based company founded by Zhang Yiming is now the world’s most valuable start-up, after backers including SoftBank invested at a US$75 billion valuation two years ago.

Quarantines and lockdowns have made TikTok’s global appeal all the more lasting. Canadian rapper Drake’s latest dance challenge has racked up nearly 70 million videos in a week; even Jane Fonda, now 82 years old, is posting new workout clips.

In February, it was the world’s most popular non-game app, with downloads nearly doubling year-on-year to a record 113 million, according to SensorTower. It has 800 million monthly active users.