ByteDance's Doubao Introduces Paid Pro Tier as User Base Dips by 6 Million

ByteDance's AI chatbot Doubao is monetizing its way through a user exodus, launching a paid subscription tier even as its monthly active users plummeted by six million—a move that suggests the Chinese tech giant may be prioritizing revenue over growth as competition in the country's crowded AI market intensifies. The shift underscores a broader challenge facing Chinese AI startups: with homegrown competition mounting and regulatory scrutiny tightening, there may be no clear path to profitability except through premium features and direct payments. It's a gamble that could either stabilize Doubao's struggling position or accelerate users toward rival services in a market where dominance is far from guaranteed.

Pandaily·Jun 4