TikTok employees shrug their shoulders as the US election looms

TikTok is one of the technology companies that could be most affected by the results of the US election. But as election results neared, employees there found themselves no longer attached to their jobs. High-level political drama could decide the app’s fate.

A product manager based in San Jose, who requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media, said he was more worried about the TikTok ban before joining the company earlier this year than now. hour. He claims that his colleagues rarely bring up the topic, and that his team plans future product features in the app as if there won’t be a ban anytime soon.

“Now I feel apathetic,” he said. “There is very little you can do as a regular employee and everyone thinks the same, so the result is business as usual.”

WIRED spoke to a half-dozen employees at TikTok and parent company ByteDance on condition of anonymity, and they all reported little, if any, discussion of the US election or politics among their ranks. .

While outsiders speculate about the app’s possible shutdown, US-based TikTok employees say discussions about a ban are happening more with their international partners or with non-ByteDance friends. “There is almost a consensus not to talk about this issue. Very rarely, some of us might say maybe it’s time to leave, but those discussions rarely come up,” said the TikTok product manager.

In April, the Protecting Americans from Applications Controlled by Foreign Adversaries Act (PAFACA) was signed into law, requiring TikTok to sell its US operations to domestic buyers or else prohibited. But months later, the topic has largely disappeared from news headlines even as politicians repeatedly talked about China leading up to the election.

So far, Kamala Harris has not commented on what she will do with TikTok as US president, but experts expect her to more or less carry out her technology policy. Biden administration, including compliance with the PAFACA Act.

On the other hand, Donald Trump has publicly retracted his 2020 stance on banning the app after allegedly being lobbied by Jeff Yassa billionaire investor ByteDance. Most recently, Trump said in a September campaign video that “for everyone who wants to save TikTok in America, vote for Trump.” However, he hasn’t made saving TikTok a core discussion point as his campaign grinds to a halt, and people are unsure whether he will stick to his latest stance if elected. .