TikTok creator ByteDance moves into search business to rival Baidu
- ByteDance’s search will be embedded within its own apps, beginning with its Jinri Toutiao news service
When Google pulled out of China in 2010, it left local market leader Baidu a de facto monopoly in the lucrative internet search business. Now that franchise is facing its most ominous threat yet.
ByteDance, an innovative Beijing start-up that created the hit short video-sharing app TikTok, is moving into search in a threat to the advertising business that has fuelled Baidu’s profit. ByteDance, known for aggressively recruiting top tech talent, is turning its attention to one of the most lucrative businesses online.
“From 0 to 1, we are building a general search engine for a more ideal user experience,” according to the company’s post on the WeChat messaging service.
Baidu declined to comment.
ByteDance likely will not create a stand-alone search engine, a Baidu- or Google-like site users would go to from a personal computer or smartphone, because that is not how most people in China use search.