ByteDance founder Zhang Yiming to step down as CEO

The move, first reported by Reuters, represents the biggest corporate shake-up at ByteDance since its launch in 2012.

Zhang Yiming, founder of TikTok owner ByteDance, told employees of the Chinese technology giant in a memo that he will step down as chief executive and be succeeded by human resource chief Liang Rubo, the company disclosed on Thursday. The move, first reported by Reuters, represents the biggest corporate shake-up at ByteDance since its launch in 2012. The company grew to become a dominant social media force in China and turned TikTok, a short-video app popular with teenagers, into a global sensation. Zhang will move to a "key strategy" position at the end of this year, ByteDance said in a statement.