The ENTIRE History of TikTok (2016-2026)

How did a news app company in a four-bedroom apartment build one of the most watched apps on Earth, and how did the United States come within hours of losing it? 🤔 This is the ENTIRE history of TikTok. We go from Zhang Yiming founding ByteDance in 2012, to Douyin in 2016, to the purchase of Musical.ly and the merger in 2018, to the pandemic boom, the U.S. ban fight, the Supreme Court, the 14-hour shutdown in January 2025, and the January 2026 deal that put TikTok’s American business into a new company. We also explain the idea behind the For You page, and bust a few myths along the way. Every empire starts as an idea and a dream. Welcome to Empire Chronicles, where we tell the complete history of the companies that shaped your everyday life, in under 20 minutes. 👍 If you learned something, hit like and subscribe for the next company. 💬 Comment: what’s the first video you remember watching on TikTok or Musical.ly? #TikTok #ByteDance #CompanyHistory #CompanyChronicles #History #Business #ZhangYiming #MusicalLy