TikTok's CEO Takes A Bow Amid U.S. Pressure to Sell the Video App

Kevin Mayer has resigned as TikTok’s CEO just four months after his appointment by the company. Mayer’s resignation comes as President Donald Trump has threatened to ban the app over national security concerns.

Mayer sent a letter to employees of TikTok and parent company ByteDance about his decision, according to the Financial Times.

The statement later became available online:

“In recent weeks, as the political environment has sharply changed, I have done significant reflection on what the corporate structural changes will require, and what it means for the global role I signed up for. Against this backdrop, and as we expect to reach a resolution very soon, it is with a heavy heart that I wanted to let you all know that I have decided to leave the company.”

Commenting on his resignation, the spokesman for TikTok in a statement issued few hours ago said: “We appreciate that the political dynamics of the last few months have significantly changed what the scope of Kevin’s role would be going forward, and fully respect his decision. We thank him for his time at the company and wish him well.”

The resignation comes as Oracle and Microsoft have emerged as leading candidates to buy TikTok, which could possibly prevent the app from a total U.S. ban, as I wrote for Deseret.com.