Shou Zi Chew – the CEO of TikTok, which was grilled on Capitol Hill as US lawmakers from each side pushed for a possible nationwide ban on the favored video-sharing app – has shown he can brave the warmth as a Singapore Army veteran and Harvard Business School graduate.
Calls to ban TikTok have intensified in recent days amid concerns that the app, which is owned by Beijing-based parent company ByteDance, poses a threat to national security.
Critics are also concerned about TikTok’s content moderation practices and potential harm to underage users of the platform.
The popularity of TikTok has complicated the situation. The app has over 150 million users within the US alone and has quickly grow to be a serious contender to more established social media platforms like Facebook and Snapchat.
Who is TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew?
Chew, 40, was born in Singapore in 1983. He attended an elite secondary school and did his national military service before attending University College London where he earned a BA in economics. He remains to be a reservist within the Singapore Army.
Chew is married to investment firm contractor Vivian Kao, whom he met at Harvard University. The couple have two children.
Chew joined ByteDance as the corporate’s chief financial officer in March 2021. Later that 12 months, he was named CEO of TikTok, succeeding former Disney executive Kevin Mayer, who resigned just three months after taking the job.
Where did Chew work before TikTok?
After completing his military service in Singapore, Chew joined Goldman Sachs in London as an investment banker. Chew eventually earned an MBA from Harvard University and worked as an intern at Facebook.
Chew later joined enterprise capital firm DST Global where his fluency in Mandarin allowed him to grow to be its “China-oriented partner”. to the Wall Street Journal.
During his tenure at Chew, he led a bunch that was one among the primary investors in ByteDance in 2013.
Chew also worked for Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi where he served as chief financial officer and other roles before joining TikTok, parent of ByteDance.
Why was Chew testifying before the US Congress?
The House Energy and Commerce Committee summoned Chew to testify about TikTok’s “consumer privacy and data security practices, the impact of platforms on children, and their relationship with the Chinese Communist Party.”
The March 23 hearing was Chew’s first public appearance at Capitol Hill to allay concerns about the applying.
Lawmakers from each side have called for a ban on TikTok, arguing that it allows China to spy on Americans and puts US users’ data in danger.
How much is Chew value?
Chew’s net value just isn’t publicly known. During his speech on the Capitol on Thursday, March 23, Chew admitted that he received a salary from a non-public TikTok and in addition participated in ByteDance’s stock-based compensation plan.
Who Owns TikTok?
TikTok is owned by ByteDance, based in Beijing. The company claims that 60% of its shares are owned by global investors, 20% by founders, and 20% by employees.
