TikTok’s CEO Shou Zi Chew made headlines by attending Trump’s inauguration after a temporary app shutdown raised questions about its future in the US
Washington: So, there was a bit of chaos over the weekend. TikTok suddenly stopped working on 170 million devices in the US. It was back up by breakfast, but still, what a wild night!
The US government has been talking about banning TikTok. They’re worried about data collection and ties to the Chinese government. TikTok’s parent company, Bytedance, says that’s not true.
Remember when Trump wanted to ban TikTok back in 2020? Well, he flipped the script and decided to pause the ban instead. And guess what? TikTok’s CEO, Shou Zi Chew, showed up at Trump’s inauguration. Talk about a plot twist!
So, who is this Shou Zi Chew guy? He took over TikTok in 2021 but really became known last year when he defended the app in front of US lawmakers. After this inauguration appearance, he’s likely to be as famous as Zuckerberg or Musk.
Chew has an interesting background. He was born in Singapore in 1982. His parents had regular jobs, and he went to a good school. He even served in the military there.
He studied at University College London and Harvard Business School. Fun fact: he interned at Facebook when it was just starting out. Now, he’s the CEO of TikTok and has two kids. But he doesn’t let them use the app because he thinks they’re too young.
After attending the inauguration, Chew thanked Trump in a TikTok video. He said he appreciated Trump’s efforts to keep TikTok available in the US. It seems like they’re trying to work together now.
Other big names like Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg were also at the inauguration. Maybe Chew’s presence was a sign of a new partnership.
As for TikTok’s future in the US, it’s still up in the air. The app’s temporary shutdown and Chew’s appearance at the inauguration show that this conversation is far from over.
