Former toutiao CEO chen lin publicly confirms departure to launch AI education venture

Chen Lin, the former CEO of Toutiao, officially acknowledged his departure from ByteDance and his plans to start an AI education company in a recent personal post. This announcement marks the first public confirmation of his exit, which had been rumored since 2025. Chen Lin, who is identified as the founder of Xiaolu Aixue (Galaxy Wisdom), detailed that his decision to step down from ByteDance's frontline role followed a period of health issues and guilt over the contraction of the education business in 2022, leading to a two-and-a-half-year recovery period. During this time, he consulted for several departments at ByteDance and explored investments. His renewed entrepreneurial drive was solidified after discussions with Zhang Yiming, the former Chairman and CEO of ByteDance. Chen Lin cited a reflection from a rainy night in June 2023, where the transformative impact of ChatGPT on underlying AI technology prompted him to deeply worry about how the next generation could develop sustainably in an age where professional skills are increasingly being replaced by machines.