Kuaishou is a massive social media platform in China, focused on showcasing the lives of everyday people.

Kuaishou’s story began in 2011 as a passion project for a group of engineers. Their goal? To capture life’s fleeting moments through the power of short videos. Originally called GIF Kuaishou, the app took off with its focus on fun, looping animations. Soon, Chinese users were everywhere creating and sharing these bite-sized glimpses into their lives.

But Kuaishou’s ambitions grew bigger. In 2013, live streaming entered the scene, allowing for real-time interaction and connection. This resonated with users, and Kuaishou continued to evolve. Over time, features like chat rooms, photo sharing, and even e-commerce were added, transforming Kuaishou into a dynamic and immersive social hub. Kuaishou generates revenue through live streaming, e-commerce sales, and advertising.Kuaishou Technology went public in 2021, and first became profitable in 2023. The company reached a net profit of 1.43 billion dollars in 2023.

Unlike competitors who favor trendy content, Kuaishou embraces the real – videos of farmers harvesting crops, families cooking dinner, or people just hanging out with friends. This focus on real life has attracted a huge user base, particularly outside China’s big cities, amongst suburban residents living in lower tier cities. Kuaishu realized the untapped potential of offering an easy to use streaming platform to everyday people. This creates a sense of community, and also reflects the sense of community felt by people in smaller cities.