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Zhang Yiming Overtakes Gautam Adani as Asia’s Richest Person
Zhang Yiming started ByteDance, the company that owns TikTok.
A wealth-tracking index now says he is the richest person in Asia.
His fortune is worth more than $105 billion.
This puts him ahead of Gautam Adani, an Indian business leader.
Zhang’s wealth has grown about eight times since 2019.
His wealth was affected by uncertainty about TikTok’s future in the United States.
That uncertainty eased after ByteDance agreed to create a US joint venture with Oracle and Silver Lake in January 2026.
The change shows that technology and artificial intelligence businesses are becoming especially valuable in Asia.
ByteDance founder Zhang Yiming has become Asia’s wealthiest individual, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
Zhang’s net worth has surpassed $105 billion, overtaking Indian industrialist Gautam Adani.
His fortune has increased roughly eightfold from $13 billion in March 2019.
ByteDance resolved a prolonged dispute over TikTok’s US ownership by agreeing to form a joint venture with Oracle and Silver Lake in January 2026.
The change reflects the growing strength of AI- and technology-linked wealth compared with traditional infrastructure and commodities fortunes.
- Who
- ByteDance founder Zhang Yiming and Indian industrialist Gautam Adani.
- What
- Zhang Yiming overtook Gautam Adani to become Asia’s richest person, with a fortune exceeding $105 billion.
- Where
- Asia, with the TikTok ownership dispute involving the United States.
- When
- The ranking change was reported after ByteDance’s January 2026 US joint-venture agreement; the exact ranking date was not specified.
- Why
- Zhang’s wealth rose with ByteDance’s short-video and artificial-intelligence businesses, while uncertainty over TikTok’s US future eased after the joint-venture agreement.
Key facts
- New ranking leader
- Zhang Yiming
- Estimated net worth
- More than $105 billion
- Previous leader
- Gautam Adani
- Wealth growth
- Roughly eightfold from $13 billion in March 2019
- Companies in US joint venture
- ByteDance, Oracle and Silver Lake
- Agreement timing
- January 2026
- Source
- Bloomberg Billionaires Index
Sources
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