Tim Culpan, Columnist

The Social Value of Retiring Tech Founders

There’s great benefit in having a company like ByteDance’s Zhang Yiming choose to step away at the right time.

May 22, 2021 at 12:00 AM UTC

Updated on

November 3, 2021 at 5:15 AM UTC

Tim Culpan is a former Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering technology in Asia. Previously, he was a technology reporter for Bloomberg News.

Knowing when to move on is a credit to Zhang Yiming. — Knowing when to move on is a credit to Zhang Yiming.
Photographer: Gilles Sabrie/Bloomberg

Provide news feedback or report an error

Site feedback:

Take our Survey

This article is for subscribers only.

(This column was originally published May 22. Today, Bloomberg News reported that ByteDance Ltd. founder Zhang Yimin has stepped down as chairman. He relinquished his CEO role in May.)

The announcement of yet another Chinese tech founder stepping down from the frontlines has people rushing to point the finger at Beijing. Yet executive retirement, especially in the transitional phases of a company, should be celebrated and encouraged.