It looks like TikTok is searching for a new CEO. According to Bloomberg, the company has yet to officially comment on the hunt for a new chief but sources close to the affair have revealed some information on what TikTok's future will look like under this corporate structure.
Based on what Bloomberg reports, for now, the new TikTok chief would potentially work alongside the company's United States operations head, Vanessa Pappas.
What about Alex Zhu? —
Zhu stays in the picture, just in the background. While the new chief would be responsible for keeping an eye on advertising ventures and other operations in the United States, Bloomberg reported that Zhu would remain in charge of managing TikTok's product and software operations based in China. So it seems like this new hunt for a TikTok chief comes down to running the China front smoothly while keeping a strong presence in America.
For Zhu, this could be a great opportunity to develop new projects for TikTok. Before he became the head of one of the most downloaded apps on Earth, Zhu was coming to terms with his remarkably unsuccessful startup idea involving an education app. It turned people don't really open their smartphones for academic courses and lectures. Entertainment is where the virality — and revenue — is.
Addressing security concerns —
From a bird's eye view, TikTok will need its new CEO to handle at least two major issues at once. This person will need to efficiently handle the day-to-day business of this insanely successful app and this person will need to be able to handle global politicians who strongly suggest that the app poses national security risks.
In spite of repeatedly vowing commitment to transparency, TikTok remains dogged by such political criticism around the world. If the resume of the next TikTok CEO promises "able to work under (intense) pressure", the role is all theirs.
