Journalist Qin Shuo and ByteDance Vice President Li Liang have engaged in a public debate regarding the dominance of ByteDance products in user engagement. Qin Shuo argues that the Chinese internet has entered a 'ByteDance era,' citing data that ByteDance-owned apps now account for over 40% of total user time spent on mobile platforms.
The discussion centers on the growth of the Hongguo app, which has become the fourth-largest app in China. Qin Shuo noted that in February, the average daily usage time for Hongguo reached 125 minutes, surpassing both Douyin and WeChat. He characterizes this as a shift in market dynamics, suggesting that ByteDance's algorithmic approach has secured a dominant position in user attention.
Li Liang rejected the 'ByteDance era' concept as inaccurate. He stated that the short video and short drama sectors are highly competitive with rapidly changing market shares. According to Li, Tencent’s growth rate in short videos and dramas currently exceeds that of ByteDance, and he emphasized that instant messaging remains a stable market segment due to social network effects.
Qin Shuo defended his position by referencing data from Nomura Securities and QuestMobile, which indicates that ByteDance holds a 41.8% share of user time among the top 50 mobile apps, compared to 28.6% for Tencent. He argues that this 13.2 percentage point gap confirms a significant shift in the competitive landscape of the Chinese internet.
