Three sources familiar with the matter revealed that ByteDance, the parent company of short-video app TikTok, plans to launch a new round of employee stock buybacks driven by sustained revenue growth, with this buyback pushing the tech giant's valuation beyond $330 billion.
Sources indicated that ByteDance plans to offer existing employees $200.41 per share in this buyback, representing a 5.5% increase from the $189.90 per share buyback price approximately six months ago, when ByteDance was valued at around $315 billion.
The buyback is expected to launch this fall.
Sources noted that ByteDance is advancing this higher-valuation buyback as it consolidates its position as the "world's highest-revenue social media company," with second-quarter revenue growing 25% year-over-year.
Two of the sources revealed that this growth brought ByteDance's second-quarter revenue to approximately $48 billion, with the majority coming from the Chinese market as the company continues to face political pressure to divest its U.S. operations.
Previously, details about ByteDance's adjusted valuation and second-quarter revenue growth had not been reported. The sources requested anonymity as they were not authorized to disclose this information publicly.
ByteDance has not yet responded to requests for comment.
In the first quarter of this year, ByteDance's revenue exceeded $43 billion, surpassing Meta Platforms, Inc.'s $42.3 billion for the same period, making it the world's highest-revenue social media company.
Both companies maintained revenue growth rates above 20% in the second quarter, benefiting from strong advertising demand.
As a private company, ByteDance conducts stock buybacks every six months, providing employees opportunities to monetize portions of their holdings while reflecting improved balance sheets from domestic and international business expansion.
For mature private companies, the practice of providing employee liquidity through regular buybacks and retaining talent without requiring an initial public offering (IPO) exit is becoming increasingly common.
Multiple companies, including SpaceX and OpenAI, rely on external investor funding to support such buyback programs. ByteDance is an exception—the company consistently uses its own funds for buybacks, a move that demonstrates its financial flexibility and healthy profit margins.
Despite exceeding Meta Platforms, Inc.'s revenue this year, ByteDance's valuation remains less than one-fifth of Meta Platforms, Inc.'s approximately $1.9 trillion market capitalization.