Kevin Mayer the former Disney executive who joined TikTok as CEO just over 100 days ago, announced yesterday that he’s resigning. While Mr. Kevin Mayer was likely brought on to reassure U.S. legislators about the app’s Chinese owners, it seems he wasn’t expecting this level of conflict, with President Donald Trump signing an executive order that would ban TikTok App in the U.S. unless it’s sold to another company.
In the note to employees, which was reviewed by The New York Times, TikTok CEO Kevin Mayer said a series of changes to TikTok App’s structure had prompted him to leave. The Tiktak app, which is owned by the Chinese internet company ByteDance, has been ordered by the White House to sell its U.S. operations by mid-September. Mr. Kevin Mayer, 58, did not address the specific timing of his departure.
“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,” he wrote in the email. “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.” Mr. Kevin Mayer, who announced in May that he would join the TikTok, added that he had signed up for a global role and that leading a global team had been a “big draw” for him.
“We appreciate that the political dynamics of the last few months have significantly changed what the scope of Kevin Mayer’s role would be going forward, and fully respect his decision,” a TikTok spokesperson said in the statement. “We thank him for his time at the company and wish him well.”
