Kuaishou's AI Video Subsidiary Kling Launches 4.0 Model, Doubling Video Length to 30 Seconds
nashnova research
Kuaishou's Kling released Kling 4.0, doubling max generation length to 30 seconds with multi-format input; the launch comes as Kling prepares a Hong Kong IPO — yet Kuaishou's market cap already trails Kling's $18 billion post-money valuation.
What exactly did 4.0 upgrade?
Max video generation length doubled from 15 to 30 seconds, with support for 10+ input formats — text, images, and existing video combined.
Users can set up to 10 keyframes to control visual style per segment. This means → creators can specify different looks across a single clip, not just type a prompt and wait.
The model is still in limited testing; a lite version is open to annual subscribers, with the full release expected in October.
Why is Kling valued higher than Kuaishou itself?
In July, Kling closed a $2.8 billion first funding round — led by Alibaba, Tencent, and Baidu — at a post-money valuation of roughly $18 billion.
Kuaishou's current market cap sits at about $17 billion, below Kling's private-market price tag. In plain terms = the subsidiary's fundraising sticker is more expensive than the parent's entire public-market value.
This reflects concern over Kuaishou's core ad and livestream business — last quarter's profit decline was the steepest in nearly five years.
Monetization is moving fast — but can the growth rate hold?
Kling monetizes through subscriptions and developer APIs; annualized revenue crossed $500 million in March.
Yet quarterly revenue growth has already slowed from 300% to 200%. This means → the absolute number is still ballooning, but the acceleration is fading.
AI video's high growth is seen as Kuaishou's best shot at a more sustainable earnings path, though execution risk remains real.
Who is the biggest rival, and can Kling pull ahead again?
ByteDance's Seedance is widely regarded as the current leader in China's AI-video space; Seedance 2.5, launched in July, has become many creators' go-to tool.
Alibaba and MiniMax are also gaining share on price-performance. In plain terms = Kling isn't facing one challenger — it's facing an entire competitive price band.
Kling once benefited from OpenAI shutting down its Sora video project, but ByteDance's aggressive entry compressed that window — whether 4.0 can reopen a clear lead is the key question for the next phase.
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