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  • 30 Nov 2021
  • Interview

TikTok: Super App or Supernova?

By: Jeffrey F. Rayport and Brian Kenny
  • Format:Audio
  • | Language:English
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Abstract

TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, was launched in 2012 around the simple idea of helping users entertain themselves on their smartphones while on the Beijing Subway. By May 2020, TikTok operated in 155 countries and had roughly 1 billion monthly active users, placing it in the top ranks of digital platforms globally. But the app had drawn the attention of competitors, regulators, and politicians, especially in the US, where commercial success was critical to its long-term enterprise value. Would TikTok become the first “Super App” with a global footprint, or did it run the risk of becoming a supernova that shone brightly only for a passing moment? Harvard Business School senior lecturer Jeffrey Rayport discusses these strategic challenges in his case, “TikTok in 2020: Super App or Supernova?”

Keywords

Apps; Artificial Intelligence; Business Startups; Mobile and Wireless Technology; Business Model; Digital Platforms; Growth and Development Strategy; AI and Machine Learning; Social Media

Citation

"TikTok: Super App or Supernova?" Cold Call (podcast), Harvard Business Review Group, November 30, 2021. (Interviewed by Brian Kenny.)
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About The Author

Jeffrey F. Rayport

Entrepreneurial Management
→More Publications

More from the Authors

    • January 2023 (Revised April 2023)
    • Faculty Research

    Cobalt Robotics: Scaling Workplace Robotics

    By: Jeffrey F. Rayport, Nicole Tempest Keller and Kyung Keun Park
    • January 2023 (Revised March 2023)
    • Faculty Research

    OhmConnect: Energizing the Future

    By: Jeffrey F. Rayport, Jennifer Fonstad and Nicole Tempest Keller
    • January–February 2023
    • Harvard Business Review

    The Overlooked Key to a Successful Scale-Up

    By: Jeffrey F. Rayport, Davide Sola and Martin Kupp
More from the Authors
  • Cobalt Robotics: Scaling Workplace Robotics By: Jeffrey F. Rayport, Nicole Tempest Keller and Kyung Keun Park
  • OhmConnect: Energizing the Future By: Jeffrey F. Rayport, Jennifer Fonstad and Nicole Tempest Keller
  • The Overlooked Key to a Successful Scale-Up By: Jeffrey F. Rayport, Davide Sola and Martin Kupp
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