TikTok CEO Kevin Mayer Resigns After Trump's Threat To Ban App
CULVER CITY (CBSLA) -- TikTok CEO Kevin Mayer announced his resignation to employees on Wednesday night as the company continued to face pressure from President Donald Trump, who was threatening to ban the app.
Mayer said in a letter to employees that his decision comes after the "political environment has sharply changed."
Trump said he would order a ban on the social media platform, which has its U.S. headquarters in Culver City, unless its China-based parent company, ByteDance, sells its U.S. operations to an American company within 90 days.
"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," Mayer said in the letter. "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."
Talks are underway for Microsoft to buy TikTok's U.S. operations, but it's unclear if or when a decision will be finalized.
Mayer's resignation announcement comes nearly a month after a TikTok executive disputed privacy concerns some U.S. officials have brought up regarding the possibility the app could share American data with China, which TikTok has denied.
Mayer joined the company from Disney in May, spending just three months at TikTok before stepping down.
TikTok said in a statement that they "fully respect his decision" and understand how political dynamics had impacted Mayer's role.
Earlier this month, Trump ordered a ban on other Chinese-owned apps, including TikTok and WeChat, as U.S. officials continue to raise claims that Chinese technology could pose national security concerns to Americans.
(© Copyright 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
