TikTok CEO Kevin Mayer has quit the company only months after his appointment. Mayer had joined TikTok on June 1 from Disney.
The speculations started that Mayer is perhaps trying to jump ship as the Trump government has labeled the app as a threat to the country. President Trump signed an executive order on August 6 alleging that China may potentially have access to Americans’ personal and propriety information due to the data collected by TikTok.
In a letter addressed to his colleagues, Mayer has stated his decision to move away from the post. His letter read,
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. 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.
TikTok has, of course, denied any allegations hurled towards them by the U.S. Beijing based ByteDance which owns TikTok. It is in talks with various other companies, such as Microsoft, Oracle and other, for the sale of its U.S., Canadian, Australian, and New Zealand operations; otherwise, it might be permanently banned in the U.S. However, putting all the rumors to sleep, Mayer did not forget to mention in his letter that his decision to resign from the post has nothing to do with the app’s vision or even its prospectus.
He further added that he firmly believes that the company’s future is very bright. TikTok’s U.S. general manager Vanessa Pappas will be the interim global head at the company.
