ByteDance founder Zhang Yiming has returned to the front lines of the company, with his primary office location shifting from Singapore to Beijing, according to reports on Chinese social media today.
In response, a source familiar with the matter told Jiemian News that there is no truth to the claim of "returning to the front lines." Currently, Zhang frequently travels between Beijing and Singapore, but his base remains in Singapore.
The source noted that Zhang has always been closely monitoring AI-related businesses, primarily engaging with researchers in Singapore while also regularly returning to China to discuss matters with technical leaders.
The insider revealed that since the second half of last year, Zhang has been regularly participating in post-mortem reviews and discussions with the core technical team of Seed, ByteDance's AI-related team.
The source said that Zhang is focused on cutting-edge technologies for the future, and his role is more akin to that of Google co-founder Sergey Brin in his current capacity, focusing on AI core research teams and spending a significant amount of time interacting with researchers.
In May 2021, Zhang issued a company-wide letter within ByteDance announcing his resignation as CEO, stating that he would focus on long-term strategic planning, corporate culture, and social responsibility.
And in November 2021, ByteDance co-founder Liang Rubo succeeded Zhang as CEO and chairman of ByteDance, announcing organizational adjustments via a company-wide email and establishing six business divisions: Douyin, Dali Education, Feishu or Lark, Volcano Engine, Nuverse, and TikTok.
According to sources close to ByteDance who spoke to reporters from The Paper, Zhang no longer attends the company's bi-monthly meetings and is no longer involved in daily management.
Although he has stepped down as CEO of ByteDance, Zhang appears to have shifted his focus to the strategic development and research of large-scale models and AI.
It is said that Zhang has repeatedly emphasized the pursuit of "artificial general intelligence" within the company, and ByteDance insiders claim that Zhang is extremely focused on achieving AGI.
