TikTok is neither Alibaba nor Tencent. TikTok and Toutiao are the same company, both of which belong to ByteDance, which also owns video software such as Huoshan Video and Xigua Video.

There are currently four major factions in China's Internet: Tencent (led by Tencent), Alibaba (led by Alibaba Group), Baidu (led by Baidu) and Toutiao (led by ByteDance). In addition to the traditional BAT, Toutiao has developed the fastest. Last year, its valuation exceeded US$75 billion, surpassing JD.com and becoming a game-changer in China's Internet.

TikTok is a music creative short video social software incubated by Toutiao. The software was launched in September 2016 and is a community platform focusing on music short videos for young people. Users can use this software to select songs, shoot music short videos, and form their own works. The software will update users' favorite videos based on their hobbies.

In December 2019, TikTok was selected as one of the 100 role models of the 2019 China Brand Power Festival. As of December 31, 2019, Douyin has banned 2.03 million Douyin accounts suspected of cheating, 293 Douyin accounts with more than 1 million followers, 4,638 Douyin accounts with more than 100,000 followers, and 17,089 Douyin accounts suspected of black market sales.

On January 8, 2020, Huoshan Video and Douyin officially announced the brand integration and upgrade. Huoshan Video was renamed Douyin Volcano Edition and a new icon was launched.