Who Owns CapCut?

CapCut's origins lie in a Chinese video editing application called Jianying, which ByteDance launched in China in 2019. Jianying was designed as a mobile-first video editor targeting content creators on Douyin, ByteDance's Chinese short-form video platform. The app gained rapid traction in China, establishing ByteDance's capability in the mobile video editing category before the company pursued international expansion.

In May 2020, ByteDance launched CapCut as the international version of Jianying, rebranding the product for markets outside China. The timing coincided with a period of explosive growth in short-form video content creation driven by TikTok's global expansion. Millions of TikTok creators were seeking accessible video editing tools, and CapCut's seamless integration with TikTok's export formats gave it an immediate advantage over competing apps.

The app's initial feature set included basic trimming, transitions, text overlays, music synchronization, and speed adjustments. ByteDance invested rapidly in expanding CapCut's capabilities, adding AI-powered features including automatic subtitle generation, background removal, and smart cut tools that could identify the most engaging moments in raw footage. These AI features, powered by ByteDance's machine learning infrastructure, differentiated CapCut from simpler editing apps and attracted more sophisticated content creators.

By 2021, CapCut had become one of the most downloaded apps globally, reaching the top of the free app charts in multiple countries. The app's free-to-use model, which offered professional-grade features without a subscription paywall, drove rapid adoption among creators who had previously relied on paid tools such as Adobe Premiere Rush or LumaFusion.

In 2022, ByteDance expanded CapCut's capabilities significantly with the introduction of a web-based editor, allowing creators to work on desktop computers in addition to mobile devices. This expansion broadened CapCut's appeal beyond mobile-first creators to include professional content producers and small businesses creating marketing content. The web editor included templates, brand kit features, and collaboration tools that positioned CapCut as a viable alternative to more expensive professional editing software.

Throughout 2023 and 2024, ByteDance continued to invest in CapCut's AI capabilities. The company introduced AI video generation features that could create short video clips from text prompts, AI-powered color grading, and automated video resizing for different social media aspect ratios. These features reflected ByteDance's broader investment in generative AI and positioned CapCut at the intersection of video editing and AI content generation.

In January 2025, CapCut was temporarily removed from U.S. app stores following the enforcement of legislation requiring ByteDance to divest TikTok's U.S. operations. The removal lasted approximately 24 hours before the app was restored. The episode highlighted the regulatory risk associated with ByteDance's ownership of CapCut and raised questions about the app's long-term availability in the United States and other markets with concerns about Chinese technology companies.