Bytedance Delays IPO Plan, Off-Exchange Grey Market Valuation Nears $1 Trillion

According to SensBeat Analytics, as reported by foreign media, ByteDance's board of directors has reached a consensus in early May 2026 to postpone its initial public offering (IPO) plan. Founder Zhang Yiming believes that there is still room for valuation growth, and listing at this stage would concede too many benefits to late-stage risk-averse investors.

Currently, ByteDance's off-exchange grey market trading valuation has exceeded $600 billion. A senior tech investment banker at Bank of America commented that the company's market value is expected to approach $1 trillion, setting a new industry benchmark.

Policy and geopolitical risks have somewhat eased. In early 2026, Oracle Corporation reached an agreement with an investor consortium to jointly acquire an 80% stake in TikTok's U.S. entity, effectively clearing most regulatory pressures.

In terms of its AI business, Douyin, as the largest chatbot by user base in China, is transitioning from a free service to introducing a premium tier.