TikTok boss resigns amid tensions in Washington and Beijing

A quick passage at the head of the giant TikTok. Just three months after his arrival, the CEO of the very popular social network, Kevin Mayer, announced Wednesday, August 26 in a statement that he was leaving the company amid tensions between Washington and Beijing. “It is with a heavy heart that I announce that I have decided to leave the company”, wrote the ex-boss of the group, in a letter to his employees.

Kevin Mayer took over as head of the group last May. To explain the reasons for his departure, he underlines in his letter to what extent “The political environment has drastically changed” those last weeks.

“In my opinion, the mission for which I was engaged – in particular to lead TikTok as a whole – will now be very different because of the action of the American administration which pushes to sell the activities in the United States”, did he declare.TikTok, target of Donald Trump’s offensive against China

TikTok said in a statement: “We understand that the political dynamics of the past few months have significantly changed the scope of the role Kevin should have taken on in the future, and we fully respect his decision. We thank him for his time with the company and wish him the best. “

Trump at war with TikTok

The resignation comes as the video-sharing application, which belongs to the Chinese group ByteDance, filed a complaint on Monday, August 24 against the decisions taken by US President Donald Trump against the social network, which he accuses of espionage for the benefit of Beijing.

In fact, on August 6, Donald Trump banned the application from any transaction with American partners beyond 45 days. The decree does not specify the practical consequences, but the ban could force Google and Apple to remove TikTok from their app stores, effectively preventing its use in the United States.

Should we be wary of TikTok?

TikTok, which has been downloaded 175 million times in the United States and over a billion times worldwide, claims in its complaint that Donald Trump’s decisions are driven by political and financial considerations, not by concerns about national security.

According to the social network, Donald Trump’s decree would be an abuse because the platform does not represent “An unusual and extraordinary threat”, as specified in the law. ByteDance has confirmed to AFP that the current CEO, Vanessa Pappas, will temporarily assume the role of CEO of TikTok.