By Team INVC | INVC NEWS
BEIJING, China | September 18, 2026 —
ByteDance co-founder Zhang Yiming has overtaken Indian billionaire Gautam Adani to become Asia’s richest person, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, after fresh private-market valuations pushed the TikTok founder’s estimated fortune above $105 billion.
Zhang’s rise marks a major change at the top of Asia’s wealth rankings and places the 43-year-old Chinese technology entrepreneur ahead of one of India’s most prominent industrialists.
Bloomberg estimated Zhang’s wealth at about $105.5 billion after recent revisions to ByteDance’s valuation. Gautam Adani, whose fortune is tied largely to publicly traded Adani Group companies spanning ports, power, airports, logistics and energy, slipped narrowly behind him.
The gap remains small enough for the ranking to change again with movements in Adani Group shares or fresh valuations of privately held ByteDance.
How Zhang Yiming Moved Ahead of Gautam Adani
The latest change was driven primarily by a sharp increase in the estimated value of Zhang’s stake in ByteDance.
Bloomberg had valued Zhang’s fortune at about $13 billion in March 2019. Since then, his estimated wealth has increased more than eightfold.
The latest surge added more than $12 billion to his fortune this month, following updated ByteDance valuations used by major investment firms including BlackRock, Fidelity Investments and T. Rowe Price.
That was enough to move Zhang ahead of Gautam Adani in Bloomberg’s Asian billionaire ranking.
The shift is particularly significant because ByteDance remains privately held. Unlike Adani Group companies, there is no publicly traded ByteDance share price that changes throughout the trading day.
Instead, private transactions and valuations assigned by major institutional investors play an important role in calculating Zhang’s wealth.
ByteDance Valuation Is Driving Zhang’s Fortune
Zhang co-founded ByteDance in Beijing in 2012.
The company first built its reputation around algorithm-driven content platforms before expanding globally through TikTok, which became one of the world’s most widely used short-video services.
Its Chinese sister app, Douyin, developed into a major advertising, entertainment and e-commerce platform.
ByteDance has since expanded beyond social media into artificial intelligence, generative video, enterprise technology and other digital businesses.
Recent private-market transactions and investor valuations have placed ByteDance among the world’s most valuable privately held technology companies.
Because Zhang retains a large ownership stake in the company, rising ByteDance valuations have a direct effect on estimates of his personal fortune.
Zhang Yiming vs Gautam Adani: Why Their Wealth Moves Differently
The comparison between Zhang Yiming and Gautam Adani also highlights an important difference in how billionaire wealth is calculated.
Adani’s fortune is closely linked to listed companies.
Changes in the share prices of Adani Enterprises, Adani Ports and other group companies can therefore alter his estimated wealth almost immediately.
Zhang’s wealth is more difficult to measure because ByteDance is private.
Investment firms periodically reassess the value of their holdings, while employee share transactions and secondary-market deals can imply different company valuations.
As a result, Zhang’s estimated net worth can move sharply when large institutional investors change their assessment of ByteDance.
That also explains why different billionaire rankings can show substantially different figures for his fortune.
Bloomberg and Forbes Can Show Different Rankings
Bloomberg currently places Zhang above Gautam Adani in Asia.
However, billionaire rankings are estimates rather than audited statements of personal wealth.
Forbes has used different valuations for Zhang because ByteDance is not publicly traded.
The difference between the two rankings reflects variations in private-company valuation, ownership assumptions, liquidity discounts and other methodology.
For readers following the ranking, the most accurate description is therefore that Zhang Yiming has become Asia’s richest person on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
That distinction matters because the position could differ on another wealth index.
TikTok Built the Global Business, AI Is Driving the Next Valuation Story
TikTok remains ByteDance’s most internationally recognised product, but artificial intelligence is becoming increasingly important to the company’s future valuation.
ByteDance has substantially increased spending on AI infrastructure and has developed products including Doubao, its major consumer AI assistant in China.
The company is also investing in generative video and other AI technologies.
ByteDance recently secured a large financing package to support corporate expansion and AI investment, underscoring the scale of its ambitions in a market where Chinese technology companies are racing to compete with both domestic rivals and US groups.
The company’s first-half 2026 revenue also continued to grow strongly, even as heavy AI spending put pressure on profits.
For investors, that combination — an established global digital business and an expanding AI operation — has become a major factor in ByteDance’s valuation.
Zhang Yiming Stepped Down as CEO Years Ago
Despite becoming Asia’s richest person, Zhang no longer manages ByteDance on a day-to-day basis.
He stepped down as chief executive in 2021 and later relinquished the chairman role.
However, he retained a substantial ownership interest in the company.
That stake remains the main source of his wealth.
His rise demonstrates how founders can continue to benefit from company growth long after leaving operational leadership, provided they retain significant equity.
Gautam Adani Remains Among Asia’s Wealthiest Business Leaders
Zhang’s move to the top does not materially change Gautam Adani’s position among the world’s wealthiest business figures.
Adani built his fortune through businesses concentrated in infrastructure and energy.
The Adani Group operates major ports, airports, power generation and transmission assets, renewable-energy businesses and logistics operations.
His estimated wealth had climbed as high as around $120 billion earlier in 2026 before declining in recent months as market conditions changed and several Adani-linked stocks came under pressure.
Because much of his wealth is connected to listed shares, a market rally could quickly alter the ranking again.
The Gap at the Top Remains Narrow
The change in Asia’s wealth ranking should not be viewed as permanent.
At fortunes above $100 billion, even a relatively modest percentage move can add or erase several billion dollars.
A rise in Adani Group stocks could return Gautam Adani to the top.
A further revaluation of ByteDance could widen Zhang’s lead.
Foreign-exchange movements and other investments can also affect the calculations.
The ranking is therefore a snapshot rather than a fixed title.
From TikTok to Asia’s Largest Fortune
What is clear is the scale of Zhang Yiming’s rise.
In 2019, Bloomberg estimated his fortune at about $13 billion.
Seven years later, that figure has moved beyond $105 billion.
TikTok’s global expansion created the foundation of that wealth, while ByteDance’s broader digital business and growing push into artificial intelligence have increased investor expectations for the company.
The result has now reshaped the top of Asia’s billionaire rankings.
For the moment, Zhang Yiming is ahead of Gautam Adani on Bloomberg’s list — placing the founder of one of the world’s biggest digital platforms at the top of Asia’s wealth table for the first time.
