The struggling short-video app, used by nearly half of American adults, is reportedly laying off staff in its global trust and safety unit, which oversees content moderation. According to The Information, the unit is undergoing a restructuring, with employees in areas like user support and communications set to be cut, while the remaining staff will be integrated into teams such as marketing and product. This move comes amid growing federal scrutiny and potential regulatory challenges over national security concerns tied to TikTok’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance.
TikTok hasn’t commented on the report. However, Adam Presser, the company’s operations head who oversees the trust and safety division, reportedly sent a memo to staff on Thursday notifying them of the change. Two sources said the layoffs began that same day for teams in Asia and Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.
Presser and chief brand and communications officer Zenia Mucha reportedly told impacted employees that the company is moving to “optimize our resources” and that a “large percentage” of the global operations and marketing teams will be affected. Staffers can apply for open positions with the remaining teams or find new opportunities at the firm.
Han’s departure is notable because he was a top figure in the USDS team, which has worked to convince lawmakers that TikTok can protect the privacy of its U.S. users from the Chinese government’s surveillance activities. According to a company statement, Han’s role at USDS has included managing compliance, safety strategies, and content moderation for the app. The company says Han “has been a critical contributor to the success of our work” and that it will miss him.
The trust and safety team’s restructure is part of a larger plan to improve the unit’s efficiency and effectiveness. The goal is to remove inappropriate content more quickly. As of last year, TikTok says it manually reviews around 80% of the content on its platform and utilizes AI to remove another 20%. The company has invested heavily in improving the technology over the past few years.
However, the recent turbulence engulfing the app and its owner has raised questions about the effectiveness of the process. TikTok recently suffered a brief service interruption amid an upheaval with Congress that could result in the app being banned nationwide unless ByteDance sells it to a U.S.-based company. The company has also faced questions about its use of data in the United States. During a hearing with congressional leaders earlier this year, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew defended the company’s efforts by saying the app doesn’t share user data with the Chinese government. The company’s legal and political troubles aren’t likely to abate soon.
