Business transformation, employees were laid off, and off-campus training institutions survived.
On August 5, news about ByteDance’s vigorous education layoffs circulated on multiple social platforms, which added another wave to the already restless education track.
In 2020, Zhang Yiming pointed out in his letter to all staff that education has officially become the third strategic focus of Toutiao after pictures, texts and short videos. A year later, ByteDance, which regards education as a key strategy, has not escaped the layoffs.
According to a LatePost report, ByteDance’s education brand Vigorous Education is adjusting related businesses: Guagualong, which provides AI animation courses to children aged 3 to 8, has begun to lay off tutors, and plans to abolish more than 50% of its job title email list experience class tutoring by the end of August Teacher; You Paiyi, which provides thinking animation courses for children aged 3-12, and GOGOKID, a one-to-one English-language service for foreign teachers for children aged 4-12, have also been removed from the shelves, and will stop operating next.
At the same time as layoffs, ByteDance is also seeking business transformation, such as Guagualong preparing for programming courses. It is reported that Xuelang, a comprehensive learning platform under Dali Education, previously focused on adult business, which is temporarily less affected by policies, and may become the focus of Byte’s educational layout.
In July 2021, the "double reduction" policy was officially implemented, and multiple restrictions were placed on off-campus training institutions. Disciplinary training institutions are not allowed to go public for financing, and capitalization operations are strictly prohibited; over-standard and advanced training is strictly prohibited; policies such as strengthening the supervision of training fees are strictly prohibited. Education and training institutions and Internet companies that lay out the education track have started laying off staff.