TikTok headquarters in Los Angeles: It's about supremacy in the tech sector
Photo: CHRIS DELMAS / AFPTikTok boss Kevin Mayer has resigned. In a letter to employees, Mayer wrote that it was his decision to leave after the political environment had changed dramatically - and by that he meant the pressure from the White House. TikTok confirmed a corresponding report in the "Financial Times" on Thursday and added that they "fully respect their decision."
The video app belongs to the Chinese Bytedance group. US President Donald Trump had banned US business with TikTok, the ban is due to take effect in mid-September. TikTok and its parent company ByteDance have therefore filed suit against Trump. The software giant Microsoft is currently negotiating a purchase of the TikTok subsidiaries in the US and several other countries.
The background to the dispute over TikTok is not just the trade dispute that the US and China have been fighting since Trump took office. It is also increasingly about supremacy in the tech sector. After the network supplier Huawei, other Chinese IT companies had moved to the center of the conflict. Trump raised security concerns in early August and banned transactions with Bytedance and WeChat operator Tencent, two of China's largest IT companies operating in the US.
In mid-August, Trump had finally instructed Bytedance to withdraw from operating TikTok in the US within 90 days. The aim of the US government is for a large US corporation to win and then also back up the user data. Therefore, the Chinese group felt compelled to initiate the sale of TikTok
Mayer took up the post of chief at TikTok just a few months ago. It came from entertainment giant Disney. There he was considered to be in charge of the streaming business for a long time as the Crown Prince - but Bob Chapek, who was previously responsible for the theme parks, was appointed as the new CEO. Mayer moved to TikTok shortly afterwards, where he was to lead global expansion.
Icon: The mirrormik / Reuters
