Douyin CEO steps down to focus on ByteDance video editor CapCut

Douyin Group CEO Kelly Zhang (pictured) has stepped down from her role and will shift her focus to ByteDance's video editing app CapCut.

In a conversation with MARKETING-INTERACTIVE, a ByteDance spokesperson said Zhang will no longer serve as CEO of Douyin Group. She will undertake other responsibilities within the company and the company is grateful for her leadership at Douyin Group.

There will be no CEO of Douyin Group following Zhang's departure, MARKETING-INTERACTIVE understands. Han Shangyu will serve as head of Douyin and manage the coordination of all businesses related to Douyin.

According to Zhang's WeChat account, she said she was ready to let go of her role as Douyin CEO and refocus on something that she is passionate about. "ByteDance is a platform for dream chasing, it is romantic and practical. I look forward to creating dreams with my team in this new era of AI," she said.

Zhang said she will transition to a new role focusing on CapCut, amid the wide application of AI in the field of content creation.

According to multiple Chinese media reports, Zhang joined ByteDance in 2014 and was named as the head of the company’s China business in March 2020.

In her previous role, Zhang was responsible for the company’s products in the China market, leading product management and operation, marketing, and partnerships for Toutiao, Douyin, Xigua, Toutiao Search, and other products and services. She reported to ByteDance CEO Zhang Yiming.

This move came after ByteDance joined the generative AI competition with an open platform for chatbot development, according to the SCMP. The company had reportedly launched a public beta test for the platform in December 2023.

On the other hand, ByteDance has already launched an AI robot called Doubao. According to a report by Chinese tech news site IThome, users can register on the platform using their phone numbers, Douyin accounts, or Apple IDs.

Doubao presently provides various functionalities such as a chatbot, writing aid, and English learning support. It is accessible through the web page and can be obtained for both iOS and Android operating systems. To install it on iOS, TestFlight is required.

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