Skip to Main Content
HBS Home
  • About
  • Academic Programs
  • Alumni
  • Faculty & Research
  • Baker Library
  • Giving
  • Harvard Business Review
  • Initiatives
  • News
  • Recruit
  • Map / Directions
Faculty & Research
  • Faculty
  • Research
  • Featured Topics
  • Academic Units
  • …→
  • Harvard Business School→
  • Faculty & Research→
Publications
Publications
  • 30 Nov 2021
  • Interview

TikTok: Super App or Supernova?

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

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), HBS Working Knowledge, November 30, 2021. (Interviewed by Brian Kenny.)
  • Listen Now

About The Author

Jeffrey F. Rayport

Entrepreneurial Management
→More Publications

More from the Authors

    • March 2022
    • Faculty Research

    Anomalie (C) – An Interview with Leslie Voorhees

    By: Jeffrey F. Rayport and Thomas O. Jones
    • November 2021
    • Faculty Research

    Seeding and Selling Asana

    By: Jeffrey F. Rayport, Tom Quinn, Amram Migdal and Susie Ma
    • May 2021
    • Faculty Research

    Anomalie (B)

    By: Jeffrey F. Rayport and Thomas O. Jones
More from the Authors
  • Anomalie (C) – An Interview with Leslie Voorhees By: Jeffrey F. Rayport and Thomas O. Jones
  • Seeding and Selling Asana By: Jeffrey F. Rayport, Tom Quinn, Amram Migdal and Susie Ma
  • Anomalie (B) By: Jeffrey F. Rayport and Thomas O. Jones
ǁ
Campus Map
Harvard Business School
Soldiers Field
Boston, MA 02163
→Map & Directions
→More Contact Information
  • Make a Gift
  • Site Map
  • Jobs
  • Harvard University
  • Trademarks
  • Policies
  • Digital Accessibility
Copyright © President & Fellows of Harvard College