Under Pressure From The Trump Administration, Kevin Mayer Resigns From TikTok CEO

JAKARTA - Surprisingly, TikTok CEO Kevin Mayer has resigned from his post, after three months working on the creative video platform. Political pressure from the administration of US President Donald Trump is a strong reason for his resignation.

"In recent weeks, as the political environment has changed sharply, I have made significant reflections on what the structural changes of the company entail, and what it means for the global role I am enlisting," Mayer said in his resignation letter to TikTok employees and ByteDance, as quoted by The Verge, Thursday, August 27.

Mayer said a series of changes to TikTok's leadership structure had prompted him to step down. In fact, the appointment of US national Kevin Mayer as the CEO of TikTok was initially alleged to be TikTok's attempt to escape the "image" of a Chinese company.

"Against this backdrop, and as we hope to reach a resolution soon, it is with a heavy heart that I want to inform all of you that I have decided to leave the company," he continued.

He said he understood that his role, including running TikTok globally - would look very different as a result of the US government's actions to boost the sale of the country's business.

Mayer's exit comes just weeks after President Trump signed an executive order banning TikTok unless its parent company, ByteDance, sells its US assets to American companies within 90 days.

Microsoft is in talks to buy this short form video app, while other buyers who are reportedly interested include Twitter and software giant Oracle.

Prior to joining TikTok in May, Mayer was chairman of The Walt Disney Company's direct-to-customer & international division. He previously served as Disney's senior executive vice president and chief strategy officer.

"We appreciate the political dynamics in recent months have significantly shifted the scope of Kevin's role going forward, and fully respect his decision," TikTok said in a written statement.