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  • February 2023 (Revised March 2023)
  • Case
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Hey, Insta & YouTube, Are You Watching TikTok?

By: Felix Oberholzer-Gee
  • Format:Print
  • | Language:English
  • | Pages:22
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Abstract

In early 2023, the entertainment app TikTok reached close to 1 billion users globally, placing it 4th behind the leading social networks of Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram. Featuring a sophisticated recommendation engine, TikTok mastered the art of keeping users interested over long periods of time. TikTok’s business model focused on advertising as the principle source of revenue and, by 2023, the app had become irresistible to many marketers. At the same time, competition in the market for short-form videos intensified when Instagram introduced Reels and YouTube launched Shorts. To the surprise of many, YouTube even decided to share a significant portion of its ad revenue from Shorts with the creators of the videos, a first in the industry. Meanwhile, Instagram appeared to move away from recommending content by accounts the users followed, making the app less social. Zhang Yiming, the founder of ByteDance, Liang Rubo, ByteDance CEO, and Chew Shou Zi, TikTok’s CEO, had to decide how to respond to these latest developments. Had Meta’s Zuckerberg really announced the end of social media? Did YouTube’s Wojcicki’s move destroy TikTok’s business model?

Keywords

Social Media; Applications and Software; Business Model; Competition; Organizational Change and Adaptation

Citation

Oberholzer-Gee, Felix. "Hey, Insta & YouTube, Are You Watching TikTok?" Harvard Business School Case 723-426, February 2023. (Revised March 2023.)
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About The Author

Felix Oberholzer-Gee

Strategy
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Related Work

    • February 2023 (Revised March 2023)
    • Faculty Research

    Hey, Insta & YouTube, Are You Watching TikTok?

    By: Felix Oberholzer-Gee
Related Work
  • Hey, Insta & YouTube, Are You Watching TikTok? By: Felix Oberholzer-Gee
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