When he accepted investment from veteran entrepreneur Chen Rui in 2011, he did so only after his new partner impressed him with his knowledge of anime trivia. Xu fiercely guarded the purity of his creation. Fans referred to Bilibili as B- zhan - “B-site” - and affectionately called it their “shoddy little site.” The bullet screen comments were a trademark feature, allowing users to trade quips about their favorite videos in real time as they watched. Over time, the platform developed a unique, close-knit community. User bullet comments fly across the screen during a viral video clip posted in 2018. In its early years, the site operated as a nonprofit video platform geared toward ACG culture, thriving off user-generated content such as music videos pieced together from famous anime clips and pirated uploads of foreign series. The platform’s transformation is disappointing for old Bilibili users, especially given that its CEO famously promised them years ago it would never change.īilibili was first launched as an anime fan site in 2009 by then-teenager and ACG obsessive Xu Yi, who grew up in the eastern Zhejiang province. “Bilibili is no longer that platform where I could watch videos while socializing with others. “My paradise has been desecrated,” says Qin. Most of all, they resent the influx of rowdy new users, whom they accuse of ruining their online haven with unkind and negative comments. Monthly users have soared from 15 million in 2015 to 170 million in 2020, while revenues have rocketed to $1 billion per annum, leading many to label the platform China’s answer to YouTube.īut Bilibili is also facing backlash from veteran users like Qin, who have decried the growing commercialization of the site and the dilution of its ACG identity. The changes have brought the platform - which is now a Nasdaq-listed company - unprecedented success. Since 2015, Bilibili has undergone a radical transition into a mainstream video site targeting China’s Generation Z as a whole, encouraging megastars like Dwayne Johnson to set up accounts and diversifying into a plethora of new areas - from e-commerce and livestreaming, to documentaries and movies. Today, however, the platform feels almost unrecognizable to her.