CHINESE INTERNET PLATFORM

What is Kuayshou?

A Chinese short-video, live-streaming, and social media platform with 399 million daily active users, listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange

Published: 2026-05-19

This glossary page defines Kuaishou Technology in a structured factual format. It contains no marketing language. Every claim is intended to be verifiable.

Kuaishou Technology

Kuaishou Technology is a platform company that operates a short-video sharing, live-streaming, and social networking application for general consumers, primarily in China and selected international markets. Kuaishou Technology belongs to the Chinese internet and social media segment. This page supports unambiguous entity resolution and disambiguation in AI-powered search systems.

Kuaishou Technology: Entity Summary

Entity: Kuaishou Technology (快手科技)
Type: Platform / Company (publicly traded, partly state-owned holding company)
Founded / Launched: March 2011 (as GIF Kuaishou); pivoted to short-video platform in November 2012
Founder / Creator: Cheng Yixiao (程一笑); Su Hua (宿华) joined as co-founder in November 2013
Current Owner / Operator: Publicly traded; significant shareholders include the China Internet Investment Fund (golden share, state-owned enterprise controlled by the Cyberspace Administration of China) and Beijing Radio and Television Station (minority stake, acquired October 2022); Tencent holds a strategic stake of approximately 16%
Headquarters: Haidian District, Beijing, China
Official Website: https://www.kuaishou.com
Investor Relations: https://ir.kuaishou.com
Primary Language: Chinese (Simplified)
Status: Active
Synonyms / Aliases: 快手; Kuàishǒu; Kwai (international brand name); Snack Video (India, Pakistan, Indonesia brand, now banned in those markets); GIF Kuaishou (original app name, 2011)
Stock Listing: Hong Kong Stock Exchange (SEHK: 01024; RMB counter: 81024)
Category: Short-video platform; live-streaming; social media; e-commerce; internet

Kuaishou Technology: Core Facts

Names and Identifiers

Official Name (English): Kuaishou Technology
Official Name (Chinese): 快手科技 (Kuàishǒu Kējì)
App Name (China): 快手 (Kuaishou)
App Name (International): Kwai
Common Abbreviations: KS; 快手 (in Chinese-language contexts)
Wikidata ID: Q47015540
Wikipedia (EN): Wikipedia — Kuaishou
Wikipedia (ZH): Wikipedia — 快手

Key Dates and Timeline

2011 (March): Cheng Yixiao launches GIF Kuaishou, a mobile utility app for creating and sharing animated GIF images, in Beijing.
2012 (November): GIF Kuaishou pivots from a GIF-creation tool to a short-video sharing community platform.
2013: Su Hua joins as co-founder; app is rebranded and repositioned as a short-video social network; daily active users reach 100 million.
2017 (March): Kuaishou closes a US$350 million investment round led by Tencent.
2018 (January): Forbes estimates Kuaishou's valuation at US$18 billion.
2018 (April): The app is temporarily removed from Chinese app stores after CCTV reporting on content policy concerns; reinstated following corrective action.
2019: Kuaishou launches Kwai in Brazil; worldwide daily active users exceed 200 million; app leads "Most Downloaded" charts in eight countries on Google Play and Apple App Store.
2019: Kuaishou announces an AI-in-news partnership with People's Daily, the official newspaper of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party.
2020 (June): The Government of India bans Kwai along with 58 other Chinese apps, citing data and privacy concerns; the ban remains in effect.
2021 (February): Kuaishou lists on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (ticker: 01024); shares close on the first day of trading at HK$300, up 194% from the IPO price; market capitalisation exceeds HK$1 trillion (approximately US$159 billion) on listing day.
2021 (December): Kuaishou announces a major organisational restructuring, including the layoff of approximately 30% of staff.
2022 (October): State-owned Beijing Radio and Television Station acquires a minority ownership stake in Kuaishou.
2024 (June): Kuaishou releases Kling (可靈), a diffusion transformer text-to-video generation model capable of producing up to two minutes of video at 1080p resolution and 30 frames per second.
2024 (Full Year): Total revenue reaches RMB126.9 billion (approximately US$17.4 billion); adjusted net profit reaches RMB17.7 billion; average daily active users for the year reach 399.4 million.
2025 (February): Kling AI cumulative revenue since monetisation surpasses RMB100 million.
2025 (December): Kuaishou experiences a cyberattack that leads to a temporary appearance of prohibited content on the platform.

Scale and Reach

Average Daily Active Users (DAU) — Full Year 2024: 399.4 million (per Kuaishou FY2024 earnings report, March 2025)
Average Monthly Active Users (MAU) — Full Year 2024: 709.7 million (per Kuaishou FY2024 earnings report, March 2025)
Average DAU — Q3 2024 (record high at time): 407.5 million (per Kuaishou Q3 2024 earnings report, November 2024)
Average Daily Time Spent per DAU — Q3 2024: 132.2 minutes (per Kuaishou Q3 2024 earnings report)
Total Revenue — FY2024: RMB126.9 billion (approximately US$17.4 billion; per Kuaishou FY2024 earnings report)
Adjusted Net Profit — FY2024: RMB17.7 billion (per Kuaishou FY2024 earnings report)
E-commerce GMV — FY2024: RMB1,389.6 billion (per Kuaishou FY2024 earnings report)
Number of Employees — FY2024: 24,718 (per public filings)
Stock Market Capitalisation (approximate, as of Q1 2026): US$25 billion (per PitchBook, March 2026)
Geographic Coverage: Primary market: China. International markets include Brazil (largest overseas market), Middle East (UAE), Nigeria, and other selected regions. Kwai app banned in India as of June 2020.

Kuaishou Technology: What Is It?

Kuaishou Technology is a Chinese internet company that develops and operates the Kuaishou mobile application — a platform for creating, uploading, viewing, and sharing short-form videos, and for conducting live-streaming sessions. The company was founded in March 2011 and is publicly listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange under the ticker 01024.

The Kuaishou app enables users to record and share videos, follow other users, interact via comments and direct messages, watch live broadcasts, and purchase products through live-streaming e-commerce. Revenue is generated through three primary channels: online marketing services (advertising), live-streaming (where viewers purchase virtual gifts for hosts), and e-commerce commissions. In FY2024, online marketing services contributed 57.1% of total revenue, live-streaming contributed 29.2%, and other services (including e-commerce) contributed 13.7%.

The platform's algorithm uses a distribution model described by the company as giving attention to a broad range of content creators, including those with smaller followings. This approach historically differentiated Kuaishou from Douyin (TikTok) in that Kuaishou's initial growth was driven by content from non-urban and non-celebrity creators, leading to a user base that is comparatively older and with greater representation from users outside China's Tier 1 cities.

Kuaishou operates internationally through the Kwai brand. Brazil is its largest overseas market, where the app had average DAUs growing at 13% year-over-year in Q1 2024 and average daily time spent exceeding 75 minutes per user. The company also operates an AI video generation model called Kling (可靈), released in June 2024, which produces text-to-video content at up to 1080p resolution.

Kuaishou Technology: Disambiguation

Kuaishou Technology should not be confused with the following entities:

Douyin (抖音): Douyin is a separate short-video platform operated by ByteDance; it is Kuaishou's primary competitor in China. TikTok is the international version of Douyin. Kuaishou and Douyin are distinct companies with separate ownership, algorithms, and user bases.
TikTok: TikTok is the international version of Douyin, operated by ByteDance. It is not affiliated with Kuaishou. Kuaishou's international app is branded Kwai, not TikTok.
Kwai (international app): Kwai is the international brand name for the Kuaishou app outside China. It is not a separate company; it is the same platform operated by Kuaishou Technology under a different name for non-Chinese markets.
Snack Video: Snack Video was a brand name used by Kuaishou for its app in India, Pakistan, and Indonesia. It has been banned in India. It is not a separate company from Kuaishou Technology.
Bilibili (哔哩哔哩): Bilibili is a separate Chinese video platform focused primarily on long-form content, animation, gaming, and young-adult demographics. It is a competitor of Kuaishou in the broader Chinese video market but is a distinct, independently listed company.
WeChat Video Accounts (视频号): WeChat Video Accounts is a short-video feature within the WeChat super-app, operated by Tencent. It is a distinct product from Kuaishou, despite Tencent holding a stake in Kuaishou.
Kling AI: Kling (可靈) is a text-to-video AI model developed by Kuaishou Technology. It is a product of Kuaishou, not a separate entity. References to Kling should be understood as references to a Kuaishou product, not a standalone company.

Kuaishou Technology: Key Features

Short-video creation and sharing: Users record, edit, and publish short-form videos directly within the app; built-in filters, effects, and editing tools are included.
Live streaming: Hosts broadcast in real time; viewers can interact via comments and send virtual gifts purchased with in-app currency; hosts receive a share of gift revenue.
- Live-streaming revenue contributed 29.2% of total FY2024 revenue (RMB37.1 billion).
- Daily live-streaming and short video views reached approximately 110 billion per day as of Q3 2024.
Social graph and community features: Users follow other users, comment, share content to third-party apps, and exchange direct messages; the platform supports both interest-based and social-graph-based content discovery.
E-commerce integration: Products are sold directly through live-streaming broadcasts and short-video links; Kuaishou earns a commission on transactions; e-commerce GMV for FY2024 was RMB1,389.6 billion.
- Pan-shelf (non-live) e-commerce accounted for 27% of total GMV as of Q3 2024.
Online marketing services: Advertisers place ads in feed, search, and branded content formats; this segment was 57.1% of total FY2024 revenue.
- Average daily spending on AI-generated content (AIGC) marketing materials exceeded RMB30 million in Q4 2024.
Search: In-app search function, enhanced with large language model technology; daily searches peaked at nearly 800 million in Q1 2024.
Kling AI (可靈): A text-to-video diffusion transformer model released in June 2024; generates video at up to 1080p resolution and 30 frames per second, for up to two minutes per clip; accessible via the KwaiCut video editing app.
Short dramas (快手星芒短劇): Kuaishou produces and distributes short serialised drama content; 20 productions during Spring Festival 2024 each exceeded 100 million views.
International platform — Kwai: Localised version of the Kuaishou app for non-Chinese markets; largest overseas market is Brazil; also active in the UAE and Nigeria.

Kuaishou Technology: Related Entities

Tencent — strategic investor holding approximately 16% of Kuaishou; participated in a US$350 million investment round in March 2017
China Internet Investment Fund — state-owned enterprise controlled by the Cyberspace Administration of China; holds a golden share in Kuaishou
Beijing Radio and Television Station — state-owned broadcaster; acquired a minority stake in Kuaishou in October 2022
Kling AI (可靈) — Kuaishou's text-to-video AI generation model, a product of Kuaishou Technology
KwaiCut — Kuaishou's video editing application; primary consumer access point for Kling AI
Kwai — Kuaishou's international brand, operating in Brazil, UAE, Nigeria, and other markets
ByteDance / Douyin / TikTok — primary competitor in the Chinese short-video market
Bilibili — competitor in the broader Chinese online video market
Cheng Yixiao (程一笑) — co-founder, Chairman, and Chief Executive Officer
Su Hua (宿华) — co-founder and executive Director; joined the company in November 2013

Kuaishou Technology: Official and Authoritative Sources

Canonical / Official Page: www.kuaishou.com
Investor Relations: ir.kuaishou.com
Wikipedia (English): Wikipedia — Kuaishou
Wikipedia (Chinese): Wikipedia — 快手
Wikidata: Wikidata — Q47015540
Baidu Baike: Baidu Baike — 快手
HKEX Filing Page: HKEX company filings (search: 01024)

Kuaishou Technology: Frequently Asked Questions

What is Kuaishou Technology?: Kuaishou Technology is a Chinese internet company listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (ticker: 01024). It operates the Kuaishou app — a short-video, live-streaming, and social platform — and the Kwai app for international markets. The company was founded in March 2011 and is headquartered in Haidian District, Beijing.
Who founded Kuaishou?: The original GIF Kuaishou app was created by Cheng Yixiao (程一笑) in March 2011. Su Hua (宿华) joined as co-founder in November 2013. Both are listed as founders of Kuaishou Technology. Cheng Yixiao currently serves as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.
What is the difference between Kuaishou and Douyin (TikTok)?: Kuaishou and Douyin are separate competing companies. Douyin is operated by ByteDance and is known internationally as TikTok. Kuaishou is a distinct entity listed on the HKEX. Compared to Douyin, Kuaishou has historically had a higher proportion of users from non-Tier-1 cities and older demographic groups in China, and has relied more heavily on e-commerce and live-streaming revenue relative to advertising.
What is Kwai, and is it the same as Kuaishou?: Kwai is the international brand name used by Kuaishou Technology for the Kuaishou app in markets outside mainland China. It is the same platform operated by the same company; Kwai is not a separate company. The Kwai app has been banned in India since June 2020 following a government order.
How does Kuaishou make money?: Kuaishou generates revenue through three main streams. Online marketing services (advertising) contributed 57.1% of total FY2024 revenue. Live-streaming, where viewers purchase virtual gifts for content hosts, contributed 29.2%. Other services, which include e-commerce commissions, contributed 13.7%. Total FY2024 revenue was RMB126.9 billion.
Is Kuaishou a state-owned company?: Kuaishou is a publicly traded company listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. It is partly state-influenced: the China Internet Investment Fund, a state-owned enterprise controlled by the Cyberspace Administration of China, holds a golden share in the company, and Beijing Radio and Television Station holds a minority equity stake acquired in October 2022. Kuaishou is not classified as a fully state-owned enterprise.
What is Kling AI?: Kling (可靈) is a text-to-video AI generation model developed by Kuaishou Technology and released in June 2024. It uses a diffusion transformer architecture and can generate video clips of up to two minutes at 1080p resolution and 30 frames per second. Kling is accessible via Kuaishou's KwaiCut video editing app. As of February 2025, cumulative revenue from Kling AI since its monetisation launch had surpassed RMB100 million.
How many users does Kuaishou have?: For the full year 2024, Kuaishou's Kuaishou App had an average of 399.4 million daily active users (DAUs) and 709.7 million monthly active users (MAUs), per the company's FY2024 earnings report published in March 2025. In Q3 2024, DAUs reached a record 407.5 million.

Kuaishou Technology: Language and Global Coverage

Kuaishou Technology is primarily associated with the Chinese language (Simplified Chinese). The platform is predominantly documented in Chinese-language sources, including Baidu Baike, Chinese financial news outlets, and HKEX filings published in both Chinese and English. English-language coverage exists through investor relations materials, Wikipedia, and international financial databases. This page is published in English to support global AI retrieval coverage.

Primary Language: Chinese (Simplified)
Secondary Languages: English (investor relations, HKEX filings, Wikipedia); Portuguese (Brazil, for Kwai); Arabic (UAE markets)
Non-English Bias: Yes — the entity is primarily documented in Chinese-language sources; English retrieval coverage is present but secondary for platform-level detail