Although short video app TikTok is likely to face a ban in the United States in a few days, the company still plans to continue paying its U.S. employees.
TikTok is a short video app owned by Chinese Internet company ByteDance, which has 7,000 employees in the United States. According to an employee notice seen by Reuters on Tuesday (January 14), TikTok emphasized that employee well-being is the company’s top priority, and the employment, salary and benefits of American employees are guaranteed. Even if the current legal issues are not resolved before January 19, TikTok’s US office will remain open.
The United States is worried that TikTok poses a threat to U.S. national security. President Biden signed a law in April 2024 requiring ByteDance to sell its U.S. business by January 19, 2025, otherwise TikTok will be banned nationwide.
If the ban takes effect, TikTok will be removed from Apple and Google’s US app stores. Existing US users will still be able to use the app for a period of time, but TikTok’s platform services will gradually cease operations.
U.S. President-elect Trump will be sworn in next Monday (20th). He previously called on the Supreme Court to extend the enforcement of TikTok’s “sell or ban” law, and said that he should have time to seek a political solution to this issue after taking office.
“Our leadership team remains committed to planning various options and continues to chart a path forward,” TikTok said in a staff notice.
The company also said that the ban will not affect the company entity, but will only affect the experience of American users, but the company will continue to deal with the situation to protect employees and more than 170 million TikTok users in the United States.
