With our company growing fast on a global scale, ByteDancers are often encouraged to capitalize on their strengths and grow in the scope of their work. Given how quickly our products and business evolve, it's not unusual for our work after six months to look completely different from our work on day one, so resilience and a willingness to learn are also important to thriving at ByteDance!
In exploring what it's like to grow at ByteDance, we spoke with Lionel Sim, our current Global Head of Agency who has worked in three different roles since starting at the company two years ago. In our conversation, Lionel reflected on his career development at ByteDance so far, what makes working at the company unique, and the importance of a global mindset.
Tell us about your background. What drew you to join ByteDance?
"Before joining ByteDance two years ago, I had experience working in the tech industry for both established global companies and small start-ups. Whether it was doing product marketing for a tech giant or launching a new sleep-tracking product, I've always loved working with cutting-edge technology that can improve people's lives! This is what drew me to ByteDance -- I saw the impact of our apps in China and was really excited about the company's vision to go global and 'inspire creativity and bring joy.' I was so convinced that I moved from Singapore to Beijing for my first position at ByteDance, even though I'd never lived in Beijing or worked in the China digital ecosystem before! In retrospect, I'm glad I took that leap and embraced the challenge."
How have you and your work evolved over the last two years at ByteDance?
"My responsibilities have changed quite a bit since I started! My first role was Senior Director of Global Marketing, and my second role involved moving to Australia and developing a new market for TikTok there. Both of these experiences helped grow my global network, which has been essential for my current position as Global Head of Agency, where I manage TikTok's strategic partnerships with the Global Agency Holding Companies and their portfolio of agencies.
Throughout this amazing growth of the company, my journey at ByteDance has been incredibly transformative. Starting in global business marketing, I learned a lot about go-to market strategies by supporting local market operations around the world; then in my next role, I got to apply these lessons in a real-world context as I was building things from the ground up in Australia. These experiences also helped me develop a global mindset, which I use every day in my current role managing global agency partnerships. I'm constantly asking myself, how does this partnership in Australia link with another in Europe or the Asia-Pacific. For a global company like ours, everything such as business culture and business relationships are all interconnected!"
In what ways have you seen ByteDance grow since you joined?
"The biggest changes have to be with our products. Using TikTok as an example, we've added countless new features, enlarged the pool of creators through initiatives like the creator fund, and improved advertising to allow small and medium businesses to come onto the platform. We're also producing a lot more varied content now that fits the needs of local markets. Although a lot of work remains to be done, we're much more experienced and mature now when it comes to entering new markets and understanding local cultures.
As for the growth of our teams, the increasingly global nature of our work means that many ByteDancers now must be able to succeed across a variety of markets. This goes back to the global mindset I mentioned before. When I'm working with a global agency, they would like to understand how TikTok is performing and evolving from a global perspective, because many of their clients engage with different markets around the world. So more than ever before, working at ByteDance requires thinking beyond your local context and on a global, long-term scale."
How has your experience at ByteDance differed from your experiences at other global tech companies?
"The Always Day 1 mentality is a huge defining point at ByteDance! No matter what we do, we're constantly learning and looking for the next iteration or improvement. We're also more dynamic and flexible than other companies our size in the way we adjust our approach to each market. Although we don't have as much experience as our competitors in some areas, the Always Day 1 mindset means we have the motivation to learn and bridge the gap. For example, opening the market in Australia was a huge challenge we'd never taken on before, but my team members and I still came to work each day with a fresh approach and injection of creativity. This is what kept us going and ultimately paved the way to success."
What do you think ByteDance will look like in the future? Who are we looking for to join us?
"In terms of our products, we'll continue to expand globally and meet the needs of users in many different places. TikTok focuses on music and media, but it's not our only product; we're also creating apps that appeal to other human behaviors and needs, and they'll play a big role in our future.
As we grow, our workforce will become more diverse and inclusive as well. Championing diversity and inclusion not only represents one of our six ByteStyles (core values), but also adds to our creativity and vibrance as a global company. Taking myself as an example, I grew up in Singapore and have worked in the US, UK, Australia and China. Cultural sensitivity and the ability to collaborate across cultures has been the foundation of my success at ByteDance, and the same applies to many of my colleagues! As long as you're willing to welcome and learn from those who offer different perspectives or experiences, you'll always be able to thrive here."
Interested in joining our team at ByteDance? We're always looking for creative and bold people like Lionel who are excited to grow with us! Visit our jobs page to browse open positions, and make sure to follow ByteDance on LinkedIn for the latest updates.
