TikTok is planning to lay off significant portions of its operations and marketing divisions, according to sources familiar with the plans who spoke to CNN. The layoffs are expected to impact teams responsible for user support, communications, content, and marketing. The global user operations team at TikTok will be disbanded, with remaining employees reassigned to other departments such as trust and safety, marketing, content, and product teams. The news of the layoffs was initially reported by The Information, and TikTok has not responded to requests for comments on the matter.
Employees at TikTok were notified of the impending layoffs on Tuesday following the report from The Information. Adam Presser, the company’s head of operations, and Zenia Mucha, Chief Brand and Communications Officer, sent a message to the affected teams confirming the news. The layoffs had been under consideration for some time, with ongoing turnover in relevant departments causing delays in the implementation of the plan. However, the layoffs are not connected to the legal and political issues the company is currently facing, particularly in the United States where a nationwide ban on the TikTok app is being considered.
It remains unclear how many employees at TikTok will be impacted by the layoffs. The Information reported that a “large percentage” of the nearly 1,000 employees working in the affected teams could lose their jobs. In 2023, TikTok disclosed that it had 7,000 employees in the United States alone, indicating the potential scale of the impact.