Who Owns TikTok in America?

TikTok is one of the most popular social media platforms in the world today, with over 800 million active users. It has become a go-to platform for many people to express themselves, share their opinions and create content. While TikTok’s user base continues to grow, it is important to answer the question of who owns TikTok in America?

The short answer is that TikTok is owned by ByteDance, a Chinese technology company based in Beijing. ByteDance was founded in 2012 by Zhang Yiming and has since become one of the world’s most valuable startups.

In 2017, ByteDance acquired Musical.ly (now known as TikTok) from its previous owners for $1 billion dollars. The acquisition allowed ByteDance to expand its reach and access a larger audience of potential users.

ByteDance’s acquisition of Musical.ly created some controversy due to U.S national security concerns about data privacy and censorship within Chinese controlled platforms such as TikTok. In response to these concerns, ByteDance created a separate U.S-based entity called “TikTok Inc” which operates independently from its parent company in China. This entity has its own executive team and board of directors and operates under U.S laws and regulations, making it separate from ByteDance’s operations in China.

TikTok Inc is currently headed by former Disney executive Kevin Mayer who was hired as the company’s CEO in May 2020. Mayer was appointed to lead the U.S operations of the app during a period of increasing scrutiny from American politicians over its data privacy policies and ties with the Chinese government.

In conclusion, while ByteDance owns TikTok globally, it is operated independently in the U.S through its American subsidiary – TikTok Inc – which is headed by Kevin Mayer.