Meet Shou Zi Chew, the 41-year-old CEO leading TikTok through its fight to avoid a US ban

Shou Zi Chew is the face of TikTok’s effort to stay up and running in the US.

Kin Cheung/AP

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew is the public face of the company, rallying its fans and testifying before Congress.
He’s 41 years old, went to Harvard Business School, and interned at Facebook when it was a startup.
TikTok is back in court on Monday as it appeals a new law that could ban the app in the US or force a sale.

TikTok is under a lot of scrutiny right now.

US lawmakers worry the video-sharing platform, which is owned by Chinese company ByteDance, poses a danger to national security. President Biden has signed a law requiring TikTok be sold to a US owner by mid-January or else risk being banned in the US.

In September, a hearing on the potential TikTok ban began in federal appeals court, where attorneys for both sides will make their case.

So who’s leading the company through this turbulent period?

That would be Shou Zi Chew, TikTok’s 41-year-old CEO from Singapore, who got his start as an intern at Facebook.

Here’s a rundown on TikTok’s head honcho:

Chew worked for Facebook when it was still a startup.

Shou Zi Chew and Vivian Kao attend The 2022 Met Gala.

Theo Wargo/WireImage

They are “a couple who often finish each other’s sentences,” according to the school’s alumni page, and have three kids.

Chew was CFO of Xiaomi before joining Bytedance.

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew in Washington, DC on Tuesday, February 14, 2023.

Matt McClain/The Washington Post/Getty Images.

Before joining Xiaomi, Chew also worked as an investment banker at Goldman Sachs for two years, according to his LinkedIn profile.

He also worked at investment firm DST, founded by billionaire tech investor Yuri Milner, for five years. It was during his time there in 2013 that he led a team that became early investors in ByteDance, as the Business Chief and The Independent reported.

For a while, Chew was both the CEO of TikTok and the CFO of its parent company, ByteDance.

The Biden administration has demanded that TikTok divest its American business from ByteDance or risk being banned.

Jacquelyn Martin, Pool

Former President Donald Trump’s administration issued executive orders designed to force ByteDance into divesting its TikTok US operations, though nothing ever happened.

President Joe Biden signed an executive order in June 2021 that threw out Trump’s proposed bans on the app.

Last year, the Biden administration reportedly demanded TikTok divest its American business from its Chinese parent company, or else risk being banned in the US. In response, Chew said such a divestment wouldn’t solve officials’ security concerns surrounding TikTok.

In a TikTok last March, Chew announced the company has amassed 150 million monthly active users in the US and broached the subject of the ban threats.

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew testifies during a House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing on Thursday, March 23, 2023.

Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

The House of Representatives passed a bill on March 13 that would require any company owned by a “foreign adversary” to divest or sell to a US-based company within 180 days to avoid being banned in the US.

Chew put out a video response shortly after, asking users to “make your voices heard” and “protect your constitutional rights” by voicing opposition to lawmakers.

He called the vote “disappointing” and said the company has invested in improving data security and keeping the platform “free from outside manipulation.”

“This bill gives more power to a handful of other social media companies,” he added. “It will also take billions of dollars out of the pockets of creators and small businesses. It will put more than 300,000 American jobs at risk.”

The Senate also passed the bill, and President Biden signed it into law in April.

When he’s not fighting efforts to ban TikTok, Chew makes appearances at some pretty high-profile events.

Shou Zi Chew leaves Congress on March 23.

Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

He’s been seen at the Met Gala, and also posted about attending the 2023 Super Bowl and even Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour.

His hobbies include playing video games like Clash of Clans and Diablo IV, golfing, and reading about theoretical physics.

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source:https://www.businessinsider.com/who-is-tiktok-ceo-shou-zi-chew-bytedance-cfo-xiaomi-2021-8