Iconic American Companies Owned by Chinese Investors - Page 4 of 139

18. Airbnb

Headquarters: San Francisco, CA
Bought By: CIC
Headquarters: Beijing

Airbnb seems like an American company through and through. It started as a simple idea between founders Brian Chesky, Joe Gebbia, and Nathan Blecharczyk before expanding into a true titan of the hospitality industry. Back in 2017, the company secured a $100 million investment from China Investment Corp.

Airbnb ©Daniel Krason / Shutterstock.com
The 10% stake would help Airbnb expand in other territories while also helping to support locations it already served. At the time, Airbnb was worth $31 billion. The investment didn’t stop the company from taking a hit during the 2020 pandemic though when it was forced to lay off 25% of its staff.

19. Reddit

Headquarters: San Francisco, California
Bought By: Tencent
Headquarters: Nanshan District, Shenzhen

Reddit first popped up online 15 years ago, growing to become a place where users can find information on niche subjects, or simply find a sense of community. Billed as a social media news site, the platform was created by Steve Huffman, Aaron Swartz, and Alexis Ohanian.

At the start of 2019, Tencent invested $150 million into the site, but the details of the deal remain undisclosed. We don’t know exactly what percent the company got for their large cash injection, but the partnership helped Reddit’s value jump to $3 billion from a previous valuation of $1.8 billion.

20. Segway Inc

Headquarters: Bedford, New Hampshire
Bought By: Ninebot Inc
Headquarters: Beijing, China

Standing on two wheels and whizzing around seemed like something out of Back to the Future a couple of decades ago, unless you own a motorbike. Segways became very popular over the past few years, but when Beijing-based company Ninebot bought Segway in 2015 for $80 million, things got better.

Ninebot was able to push the technology to try and make Segway a bigger presence in the robotics and technology industry. In 2018, plans to move production out of New Hampshire to China were announced, but it was later said that the majority of production would stay in Bedford.

21. Warner Music

Headquarters: New York
Bought By: Tencent
Headquarters: Nanshan District, Shenzhen

Warner Music is a huge name in the recording industry, with its HQ in the Big Apple. As one of the three biggest labels (alongside Universal Music Group and Sony) its impact on the industry can’t be underestimated. American company Access Industries holds the majority stake in the company with 86.3%, but Tencent holdings owns 1.6%.

On paper, 1.6% sounds like a minute figure, but in reality, it’s still a sizable amount. The company bought its $200 million stake in the New York based business in mid-2020. Interestingly, Tencent also has stakes in Universal.

22. The Waldorf-Astoria Hotel

Headquarters: McLean, Virginia
Bought By: Anbang Insurance Group
Headquarters: Beijing, China

If you’re making a trip to New York, staying at the Waldorf-Astoria is a true taste of luxury. Not only is it an institution, but it’s also a part of American history. While the company is managed by Hilton Worldwide, it was bought by the Anbang Insurance Group of China in 2014 for $1.95 billion.

That extravagant price made it the most expensive hotel ever sold. Anbang made some big changes to the Astoria, including making some of the rooms into condos. This Chinese company has also looked at buying several other American-owned businesses over the years, including Starwood Resorts.

23. IBM: Personal Computer Divison

Headquarters: Armonk, New York
Bought By: Lenovo
Headquarters: Quarry Bay, Hong Kong

As far as technology companies go, IBM has gone from strength to strength to dominate the market. Since its conception in 1911, the business has gone on to work on computer hardware, software, consulting services, invent the floppy disc, and more. The advancements the company has made are undeniable.

Back in 2005, IMB announced that its Personal Computer Division had been acquired by Lenovo, who paid $1.25 billion for the pleasure. The Chinese business poured a lot of money besides that into IBM too. According to the statement, “Additionally, Lenovo will assume approximately $500 million of net balance sheet liabilities for IBM.”