Founder of ByteDance. He resigned as chief executive and then chairman in 2021 amid a campaign by Chinese authorities to rein in tech moguls. Insiders say the government is still not at ease with the company's influence. Mr Zhang was notably absent from a high-profile 2025 meeting between President Xi Jinping and a group of Chinese entrepreneurs that was widely viewed as signalling a thaw in relations with the tech industry—even as Jack Ma, Alibaba's founder, was present.
A lack of leadership is no substitute for inaction.