TikTok Lays Off Global Trust and Safety Staff Amid Restructuring
Shanghai - TikTok has initiated layoffs within its global trust and safety unit, which manages content moderation, as part of a restructuring process, sources informed Reuters on Thursday.
Sources disclosed that Adam Presser, TikTok's operations head who oversees the unit, distributed a memo to employees on Thursday announcing the layoffs. Starting the same day, teams in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa were affected, according to two sources.
TikTok has not responded to a request for comment. The layoffs follow ongoing uncertainty surrounding TikTok's status in the United States. Last month, the popular short-video app, used by approximately half of Americans, was briefly unavailable as a law requiring its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, to either sell the app or face a ban went into effect on January 19.
In January 2023, TikTok CEO Shou Chew testified before Congress, alongside Meta chief Mark Zuckerberg and other tech and media executives. Lawmakers questioned the companies' efforts in protecting children from online sexual exploitation. In response to questions by Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, Chew stated that TikTok would allocate over $2 billion to enhance trust and safety measures.
Last October, TikTok laid off hundreds of employees globally, including a significant number in Malaysia, as it implemented a shift towards increased use of AI in content moderation. TikTok claims to have 40,000 trust and safety professionals worldwide. The extent of the current layoffs remains unconfirmed by Reuters at this time.