ByteDance boss to step down in big shake-up at TikTok owner

Zhang Yiming, co-founder of TikTok owner ByteDance, told workers of the Chinese technologies big in a memo that he will action down as main govt, the corporation disclosed on Thursday.

He will be succeeded by co-founder Rubo Liang. The transfer, first claimed by Reuters, represents the most significant company shake-up at ByteDance since its start in 2012. The corporation grew to turn into a dominant social media drive in China and turned TikTok into a world wide feeling.

Mr Zhang wrote that Mr Liang, who was Bytedance’s head of human resources, experienced been “an a must have partner”, advancing the company’s technologies and selecting and controlling individuals. He additional that he would do the job with Mr Liang around the upcoming six months to guarantee a clean transition.

Mr Zhang stated that right after several months of deliberation he concluded that he would have a increased affect on ByteDance’s extended-expression initiatives if he transitioned out of the main govt role.

“The real truth is, I deficiency some of the abilities that make an great manager. I am more intrigued in analysing organisational and market place concepts, and leveraging these theories to further more cut down management do the job, instead than basically controlling individuals,” Mr Zhang wrote.

“Similarly, I am not quite social, preferring solitary pursuits like staying on line, looking through, listening to music and thinking about what may possibly be feasible,” he additional.

Mr Zhang’s conclusion to action down will come less than a month after ByteDance named its main economical officer Shouzi Chew as main govt of TikTok.

TikTok has sought to length alone from Beijing right after the United States elevated countrywide security considerations around the protection of the personal information it handles.

Previous US president Donald Trump’s administration sought to force ByteDance to divest handle of the app. A US plan to market TikTok’s American functions to a consortium that incorporated Oracle Corp and Walmart Inc languished, nonetheless, after ByteDance launched thriving legal problems.