TikTok developer ByteDance profit drops as AI spending weighs

TikTok developer ByteDance profit drops as AI spending weighs

Tue, September 15, 2026 at 5:28 PM GMT+3 1 min read

TikTok developer ByteDance's net profit fell to $20 billion in the first half of 2026, as heavy artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure spending weighed on earnings, The Information reported.

Net profit dropped by a single-digit percentage from a year earlier, even as revenue rose roughly 30% to $120 billion.

Bloomberg reported in May that the company was considering spending as much as $70 billion on data centers and other AI infrastructure in 2026.

The figure was a potential spending ceiling. It has not confirmed the budget or published audited capital expenditure data for 2026.

Bloomberg reported on September 14 that ByteDance had completed a loan agreement involving 28 institutions, after lender demand allowed it to expand an initial $20 billion request.

People familiar with the financing told Reuters that AI investment drove the borrowing needs, with some funds intended for chips and data centers, including overseas facilities in Southeast Asia.

The loan's formal purpose is general corporate spending, and the company has not disclosed a detailed allocation.

Revenue for the whole of 2025 grew 29% to about $200 billion, according to The Information.