TikTok CEO Kevin Mayer resigns
SAN FRANCISCO – Citing a series of changes to TikTok’s structure, Kevin Mayer announced in a letter to employees he is stepping down as chief executive of the video app following persistent pressure from the Trump administration regarding the company’s ties to China.
The White House has ordered the app, owned by Chinese internet company ByteDance, to sell its U.S. operations by mid-September, The New York Times reported.
“In recent weeks, as the political environment has sharply changed, I have done significant reflection on what the corporate structural changes will require, and what it means for the global role I signed up for,” Mayer, 58, wrote in the note to employees reviewed by the Times. “Against this backdrop, and as we expect to reach a resolution very soon, it is with a heavy heart that I wanted to let you all know that I have decided to leave the company. I understand that the role that I signed up for—including running TikTok globally—will look very different as a result of the US Administration’s action to push for a sell off of the US business,” he added.
TikTok’s U.S. general manager, Vanessa Pappas, will be the interim global head at the company, the Times reported.
According to CNBC, the Trump administration contends the short-video-sharing app’s current ties to China make it a national security threat.
Specifically, an executive order signed by President Donald Trump on Aug. 6 stated that China may potentially have access to “Americans’ personal and proprietary information” because of data collected by TikTok, the network reported.
“We appreciate that the political dynamics of the last few months have significantly changed what the scope of Kevin’s role would be going forward, and fully respect his decision. We thank him for his time at the company and wish him well,” a TikTok spokesperson told CNBC.
