ByteDance CEO wants to whip employees into shape, as they lack a ‘sense of crisis’ amid fierce competition at home and abroad
- Chief executive Liang Rubo said ByteDance has become slow and inefficient in the face of increased competition
- He urged the company’s employees to stay ‘always day one’, referring to the Beijing-based firm’s entrepreneurial spirit
Liang said the top priorities for ByteDance this year would be to “enhance the [company’s] sense of crisis”, “continue to increase corporate social responsibility” and “focus on a few key businesses”.
Neither Zhang nor executives from Douyin, currently the biggest cash cow of ByteDance, spoke at the meeting. Zhang at present serves as an adviser to Liang, who has been his friend since university.
ByteDance did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday.
Tuesday’s address to ByteDance employees was not the first time that Liang emphasised the need for the company to raise its efficiency. He told employees in late 2022 that ByteDance needed to “get fit and beef up the muscle”, hinting at job cuts as a way to streamline operations.
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