13/02/2023

TikTok CEO Kevin Mayer has quit the company just months after his appointment.

TikTok CEO Kevin Mayer has quit the company just months after his appointment.
Kevin Mayer in Anaheim, Calif., on Aug. 13, 2019.Jesse Grant / Getty Images for Disney file
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, Mayer said in a letter to employees obtained by NBC News.
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Mayer joined TikTok on June 1 from Disney.
The short-video-sharing app is being forced to sell its U.S. business by the Trump administration, which says the apps current ties to China make it a national security threat. TikTok has consistently denied those allegations and says its U.S. user data is stored in the country itself with a backup in Singapore.
Microsoft and Oracle are competing to acquire the business from TikToks Beijing-based parent company, ByteDance.
An executive order signed by President Donald Trump on Aug. 6 means that a sale must go through before Sept. 15 or the app could be banned in the U.S.
On Monday, TikTok sued the U.S. government alleging it was deprived of due process. The lawsuit could delay the ban, giving TikTok more time to get a better deal for the sale.
We appreciate that the political dynamics of the last few months have significantly changed what the scope of Kevins 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.