General Atlantic is marketing a secondary sale of shares in ByteDance that values the Chinese social media group at $550bn, Reuters reported on Wednesday.

The proposed valuation marks a 66% increase from an employee share buyback last year that priced the company at more than $330bn. It also represents a 15% uplift from a November secondary trade that valued ByteDance at $480bn.

The sale would be the first major share transaction since the US administration cleared the divestment of TikTok’s US interests in January, removing a key regulatory overhang.

General Atlantic, which first invested in ByteDance in 2017 when the company was valued at about $20bn, began marketing part of its stake in recent weeks and is seeking to complete the sale in March. The size of the stake and pricing terms have not been disclosed.

The firm’s chief executive Bill Ford sits on ByteDance’s board. The sale comes as some General Atlantic funds approach the end of their lifecycle.

ByteDance’s financial performance has supported rising private market valuations. The company’s revenues surpassed those of Meta in 2025, and annual profit could reach approximately $48bn.

Separately, venture capital firm HSG is raising a continuation fund to transfer some of its ByteDance holdings at a valuation between $350bn and $370bn.

The $550bn valuation underscores renewed investor appetite for large-scale private technology assets, particularly those with strong profitability and global user bases. For private equity, the transaction represents a significant potential liquidity event in one of the world’s most valuable privately held companies.

If you think we missed any important news, please do not hesitate to contact us at [email protected].

Can`t stop reading? Read more.