Kanzhun's app put the boss in the chat. On BOSS Zhipin, a job seeker in China could message the hiring manager directly instead of mailing a resume into silence. The app matched both sides with its own algorithms. It arrived late to a crowded market and still became China's largest online recruitment platform by monthly users in 2020. Kanzhun went public in June 2021, weeks before Beijing turned on its tech giants.

Bosses in the Chat

Zhao Peng founded the company and launched BOSS Zhipin in 2014. He already had more than two decades in Chinese recruiting and internet work. Old job sites made employers dig through resumes. Zhao's bet was that two-way chat and smart matching would serve both sides better. Job seekers controlled who saw their resumes. Companies paid to reach more candidates. The company lost money every year through its IPO.

A Review, Then a Return

Kanzhun priced its offering at $19 per American depositary share in June 2021 and raised $912 million on Nasdaq under BZ. Weeks later, China's cyberspace regulator opened a security review and stopped the app from signing up new users. Kanzhun added a listing in Hong Kong in December 2022. The ban on new users lifted in 2023. Kanzhun still trades on Nasdaq as BZ.

Cover: Employment, Charles Samuel Keene. Art Institute of Chicago, public domain. Chosen for a job interview (hiring, directly).