General Atlantic is moving to sell part of its stake in ByteDance, valuing TikTok’s parent company at $550 billion.
On February 25, Reuters cited sources familiar with the matter as saying the investment firm had begun marketing the shares in recent weeks and aims to complete the transaction by March. The valuation marks the highest ever for the Chinese technology giant on the secondary market. In November 2025, ByteDance was valued at roughly $480 billion.
General Atlantic first invested in ByteDance in 2017, when the company was valued at about $20 billion. Financial terms of the latest share sale, including the size of the stake being offered and General Atlantic’s ownership level following the transaction, have not been disclosed. The firm’s CEO, Bill Ford, currently serves on ByteDance’s board of directors.
This marks the first secondary share sale since short-video platform TikTok finalized an agreement to establish a U.S.-majority-owned joint venture to continue operating in the country. The U.S.-based entity operates independently and is overseen by a seven-member board of directors, the majority of whom are American.
The transaction also underscores a sharp and sustained rise in ByteDance’s market valuation. The surge further strengthens prospects for other investors, who are widely expected to benefit if the company proceeds with an initial public offering (IPO).
Valuations of privately held companies can fluctuate significantly on the secondary market. Still, each new transaction is viewed as a barometer of investor appetite for the company’s shares. ByteDance’s precise market value remains difficult to determine, given its private ownership structure and the lack of public disclosure around secondary-market deal terms.
In the first quarter of 2025, ByteDance surpassed Meta to become the world’s largest social media company by revenue, generating more than $43 billion. The Chinese firm’s net profit for last year is estimated to have reached approximately $48 billion.
