ByteDance Founder Zhang Yiming Tops China Rich List With US$99.7 Billion

Zhang Yiming’s fortune rose 43 per cent to US$99.7 billion, giving the ByteDance founder a record level of wealth for China’s richest individual.

The increase helped Zhang reclaim the top position after he also led the ranking in 2024. The Hurun Research Institute said the rise came as ByteDance, the owner of TikTok, aggressively expanded into artificial intelligence.

China’s richest list reaches a new high

The 43-year-old Zhang’s fortune is now nearly US$100 billion, according to the 28th edition of the Hurun China Rich List. The ranking was released on Tuesday.

The latest list included 1,529 individuals with fortunes exceeding 5 billion yuan (US$750 million) as of September 1. That was a 6.6 per cent increase from the previous year and exceeded the earlier peak of 1,460 individuals recorded in 2021.

The figures point to a larger group of ultra-wealthy Chinese entrepreneurs even as the rankings show artificial intelligence becoming a major source of new fortunes.

AI entrepreneurs enter the top ranks

DeepSeek’s Liang Wenfeng debuted on the China list at No 7. Chen Tianshi of AI chipmaker Cambricon also entered the top 10.

Hurun linked the broader surge in wealth among China’s leading entrepreneurs to the growth of artificial intelligence. Zhang’s return to the top therefore coincides with the rising presence of AI-focused businesses in the country’s wealth rankings.

Source: South China Morning Post