Stories
TikTok Owner Makes 7 Million In Revenue In The First Half Of 2019
Everyone is aware of the famous video sharing app TikTok. The app gained rapid popularity in Asia, the United States and some other parts of the world and was declared the most downloaded app in the United States in 2018.
The immense popularity of the app proved profitable to its owner ByteDance, which, according to reports, earned a revenue of $ 7 million through TikTok in the first half of 2019.
According to the international news organization Reuters, the Company raked in almost 50-60 billion yuan ($ 7 billion to $ 8.4 billion) through TikTok, its Chinese version Douyin and news aggregator Jinri Toutiao.
ByteDance is a Beijing based startup founded in 2012. The startup became a success thanks to its product Jinri Toutiao, which is a news and information content platform widely popular in China. The Company then went on to acquire another startup called Musical.ly, which it then converted into TikTok. Considered one of the most valuable unicorns in the world, the success of ByteDance earned its founder Zhang Yiming a place in Bloomberg’s Billionaires Index 2019.
ByteDance had almost 800 million daily active users in 2018 and was reportedly valued at around $ 78 million by some sources. Although TikTok is a widely popular product by the Company, ByteDance makes most of its revenue from Douyin as TikTok is in its early stage to earn revenue.
However, the Company is facing issues like censoring politically sensitive content in China and facing investigation in relation to children’s privacy violations in the U.S., and Britain.
This did not affect ByteDance as it plans to expand beyond China. In an effort to go global, ByteDance launched its own search engine, a work efficiency app called Lark and a Wikipedia like site called Baike.com. The Company is also planning to launch a music streaming app and increased its number of employees from 40,000 to 50,000 in just a year.
A decade ago, the success of a startup was measured largely by its ability to raise capital. Today, a different metric is gaining importance: the ability to generate meaningful exits for investors. Large stake sales by early backers are becoming increasingly common, not because growth opportunities have disappeared, but because India’s startup ecosystem is entering a more mature phase where capital is expected to complete its full cycle from investment to returns.
This evolution is particularly significant for consumer brands that have successfully blended technology, retail, and strong brand-building. Companies that were once viewed as high-risk startup bets are now attracting institutional investors capable of absorbing large transactions. Such developments indicate that these businesses are no longer being valued solely on future potential; they are increasingly being assessed on operational performance, market leadership, and long-term profitability. In many ways, investor exits are becoming a validation of a company’s ability to create lasting enterprise value.
The broader implication extends beyond a single company or investor. Successful exits encourage more global capital to enter India’s startup ecosystem because they demonstrate that liquidity opportunities exist at scale. As more venture-backed companies approach public listings, secondary transactions, or strategic investments, the focus of founders and investors alike may shift from chasing headline valuations to building durable businesses. The next chapter of India’s startup journey will likely be defined not just by the creation of unicorns, but by the creation of companies capable of delivering sustained returns to all stakeholders.
Apple has unveiled the new MacBook Air with M5 chip, starting at $999 for 13-inch and $1,299 for 15-inch models. The MacBook Air M5 boasts a 2nm M5 chip with 12-core CPU, 18-core GPU, and 50 TOPS Neural Engine for seamless AI tasks like real-time translation and 8K editing. Up to 22 hours of battery life, Thunderbolt 5, and Wi-Fi 7 make it the ultimate ultraportable, now 10% thinner at 0.44 inches with fanless cooling.
Key MacBook Air M5 features include Liquid Retina XDR display (500 nits, nano-texture option), 12MP Center Stage camera, and six-speaker Spatial Audio. Colors like new Sky Blue join Midnight and Starlight. Pre-orders are live today, with macOS Sequoia 15.4 enhancing Apple Intelligence and iPhone Continuity for students, pros, and remote workers.
Why buy MacBook Air M5 now? It outpaces Snapdragon X Elite rivals with ecosystem magic and future-proof performance, eyeing top 2026 laptop sales. CEO Tim Cook calls it “more capable than ever.” Visit apple.com for M5 MacBook deals and specs.
Delhi NCR-based gaming startup Zupee has acquired Mumbai-based microdrama platform Vertical TV in a deal valued under INR 40 Cr. This move strengthens Zupee Studio, its short-video arm launched in September 2025, by integrating Vertical TV’s expertise in bite-sized dramas like romance and thrillers.
Facing challenges from India’s 2025 real-money gaming ban, Zupee valued at $1 Bn after raising $120 Mn has pivoted to non-gaming content, including recent layoffs of 40% of its workforce. The acquisition builds on its November 2025 purchase of Australian AI firm Nucanon for interactive storytelling, targeting its 200 Mn+ users with engaging, mobile-first formats.
This deal underscores the rising microdrama trend in India, helping Zupee diversify amid regulatory pressures and compete in the short-video space dominated by quick, shareable content for on-the-go audiences.
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