RedNote, a Chinese lifestyle app known as Xiaohongshu, has seen a surge of over 500,000 TikTok users amid U.S. ban concerns. The platform, often called China’s Instagram, is exploring global expansion as it gains unexpected international attention.
Chinese social media app RedNote, known locally as Xiaohongshu ("Little Red Book"), has gained traction after over half a million TikTok users joined it, protesting a possible U.S. TikTok ban.
What is RedNote?
Dubbed China’s Instagram, RedNote is a lifestyle platform for sharing beauty, fashion, travel, and food recommendations. With over 300 million monthly users in 2023, it allows posts, discussions, livestream sales, and product purchases.
Who Owns It?
Founded in 2013 by Miranda Qu and Charlwin Mao, the app started as a shopping guide for Chinese tourists. It now counts Alibaba, Tencent, and Temasek among its investors, with Mao and Qu’s fortunes estimated at $2.5 billion and $1.6 billion, respectively.
Global Potential
While primarily Mandarin-focused, the recent influx of TikTok users has pushed RedNote to explore English content. Unlike many Chinese apps, it operates a single global version, positioning it for broader appeal.
Executives hope to capitalise on the momentum to achieve global success akin to TikTok’s.
($1 = 7.3317 Chinese yuan)
TikTok faces an uncertain future in the U.S. as the government demands its Chinese owner, ByteDance, divest its U.S. operations by January 19, 2025, citing security concerns. With legal challenges ongoing and political interventions possible, millions of users await clarity on the app’s fate.
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Meta to cut 5% of staff, focusing on "low performers," while boosting AI investments. Restructuring continues as 2023's "Year of Efficiency" impacts thousands of roles.
Mount Ibu on Indonesia's Halmahera Island erupted, spewing a 4-km ash cloud and prompting the highest alert level, with authorities warning against activities near the crater.
The U.S. will remove Cuba from its list of state sponsors of terrorism as part of a prisoner release deal. Havana welcomed the move but criticised ongoing U.S. sanctions.
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