TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew stated Tuesday that US person numbers had soared to 150 million—nearly half the whole inhabitants—as he ready to combat at US Congress for the Chinese language owned website’s future.
Chew will give testimony earlier than the Home Vitality and Commerce Committee Thursday the place he’s set to face a barrage of questions over allegations by each Republicans and Democrats that the app is beholden to the Communist Get together in Beijing.
The corporate has additionally confirmed experiences that the White Home gave TikTok an ultimatum to half methods with its Chinese language homeowners or face a US ban.
“Right now, I am tremendous excited to announce that greater than 150 million Individuals are on TikTok. That is nearly half of the US coming to TikTok to attach, to create, to share, to be taught or simply to have some enjoyable,” Chew stated in a TikTok publish.
This was up from TikTok’s earlier measure in 2020 that 100 million customers got here to the video sharing website each month, which already made it one of the crucial common.
Chew additionally requested the app’s devoted customers to “let me know within the feedback what you need your elected representatives to find out about what you’re keen on about TikTok.”
“Some politicians have began speaking about banning TikTok. Now this might take TikTok away from all 100 and 50 million of you,” Chew stated.
The Singaporean CEO stated he would share with Congress “all that we’re doing to guard Individuals utilizing the app,” in a reference to a proposal referred to as Undertaking Texas that will assure a particular dealing with for the info of US customers.
TikTok has constantly denied sharing information with Chinese language officers and says it has been working with US authorities for greater than two years to handle nationwide safety considerations.
Time spent by US customers on TikTok has surpassed that spent on YouTube, Fb, Instagram or Twitter and it’s closing in on streaming titan Netflix, in response to market tracker Insider Intelligence.
