London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Jul 26, 2025

TikTok's US future at stake as boss faces Congress showdown

TikTok's US future at stake as boss faces Congress showdown

On Thursday, TikTok's CEO, Shou Zi Chew, will be opening a lion's mouth and placing his own head into it.

He's giving testimony in the US Congress for the first time, a scary thing to do.

And at stake is the future of the phenomenally popular video-sharing app in the US.

"I think that there is a real risk that if this hearing doesn't go well… that could have a massive impact on the future of TikTok," said Chris Stokel-Walker, author of TikTok Boom.

Mr Chew is likely to face a barrage of questions on TikTok's relationship with China, what data it collects, and what it does with it.

He'll also be quizzed on why several journalists were spied on by ByteDance employees - something TikTok has already admitted.

Mr Chew will say user data is safe - away from the reach of the Chinese government.

He knows politicians from all sides want to see the platform either sold - or outright banned in the US.

"He's going into the lion's den," said Mr Stokel-Walker.

Mr Chew is going to need to give the performance of a lifetime. And already, close observers have seen a change of tactic from the Singaporean.

TikTok's boss, who has had a range of senior positions in the world of finance, generally sports a suit jacket and tie.

But on Tuesday, he posted a TikTok with a very different look.

Instead of a suit, he was wearing a white T-shirt and hoodie - the uniform of the nonchalant tech founder.

The 40-year-old was suddenly speaking like a teenager too - talking of being "super excited".

"I think he's trying to give off a sort of the casual tech bro," said Caitlin Chin from the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a bipartisan think tank.

"He's actually been starting to gain a bit more of a public profile, especially leading up to this hearing."

The Singaporean has generally kept a low profile since taking over at TikTok in 2021.

However, that approach appears to have changed. TikTok is fighting for its life, and Mr Chew knows it.

The big problem TikTok has in the US and Europe is that it is owned by a Chinese company, ByteDance.

And in China, there are specific laws that require companies to hand over information to the Chinese Communist Party if requested.

Shou Zi Chew and his wife, Vivian Kao, attend the 2022 Met Gala in New York City


TikTok holds reams of data about its users, including location information and biometric data.

For years TikTok has argued that it would never hand over user information.

It has spent tens of millions of dollars on lobbying efforts and strategies to appease governments.

At the heart of its attempt to convince US lawmakers is "Project Texas".

This is the company's commitment to store US data in the US - on servers run by a US company - Oracle.

The company says so far it has spent $1.5bn on this project - and describes it as a "firewall" that protects data from foreign governments.

TikTok had hoped it would satisfy politicians on all sides.

Last year Mr Chew wrote to politicians saying he believed the project would "safeguard user data and US national security interests".

But sadly for TikTok, Project Texas has been looked at sceptically by both Republicans and Democrats.

For many US politicians, for as long as TikTok has a Chinese owner, it will be considered suspicious.

Last month FBI director Christopher Wray didn't mince his words about the platform.

"This is a tool that is ultimately within the control of the Chinese Government. And to me, it screams out with national security concerns," he said.

For most US lawmakers, TikTok would be a far more palatable platform if it were not owned by a Chinese company.

Last week it was reported by the Wall Street Journal that the Biden administration had requested the company be sold for this reason.

This is not what ByteDance wants. TikTok has enormous potential. And besides, the Chinese company doesn't wish to sell its greatest asset simply because US politicians want them to.

This is the backdrop to Thursday's congressional hearing.

We already have a fair idea of what Mr Chew is going to say from TikTok briefings.

He'll argue that 150 million American users will lose out if the platform is banned - and that thousands of small businesses rely on the platform.

He'll push back on the idea that ByteDance is Chinese-owned - saying the company has many international investors.

And he'll also argue that Chinese laws cannot compel ByteDance to share American data - because TikTok is a US-based company, with its data stored in the US.

But often these hearings make headlines for one or perhaps two specific exchanges.

Mark Zuckerberg's famous Senate hearing in 2018 is often remembered for one brilliant question from Senator Richard Durbin.

"Mr Zuckerberg, would you be comfortable sharing with us which hotel you stayed in last night?" he said.

The Facebook boss looked visibly uncomfortable before saying "no".

"I think that might be what this is all about…your right to privacy," the senator said.

It's these curveball questions that Shou Zi Chew should fear most.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Deputy attorney general's second day of meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell has concluded
Controversial March in Switzerland Features Men Dressed in Nazi Uniforms
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
Thai Civilian Death Toll Rises to 12 in Cambodian Cross-Border Attacks
TSUNAMI: Trump Just Crossed the Rubicon—And There’s No Turning Back
Over 120 Criminal Cases Dismissed in Boston Amid Public Defender Shortage
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
×