Former Senior Marketing Executive TikTok Sues Company And ByteDance For Discrimination

Katie Puris, a former senior marketing executive on TikTok (photo: x @BnzEnglish)

JAKARTA - Katie Puris, a former senior marketing executive on TikTok, sued the social media company and its Chinese-based parent company, ByteDance, on Thursday, February 8. She claims that she was forced out of work after complaining about discrimination based on gender, age, and disability.

Puris said in a complaint filed in Manhattan federal court that his dismissal in 2022 was the result of a series of incidents in which he reported bias and, in one case, sexual harassment of superiors and human resources.

Puris, who was almost 50 years old when he was fired, claims he was the target of demeaning comments about his age and that ByteDance chairman Zhang Lidong believes women "must remain silent and humble" and prefer "easy and gentle" to female employees.

He also claimed that TikTok refused to give him leave to deal with the medical conditions triggered by stress and pressure from his work. TikTok and ByteDance did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Marjorie Mesidor and Monica Hincken, lawyers for Puris, said in a joint statement that she faced rapid retaliation for complaints about discrimination despite the "successful norm" in her work.

"TikTok's actions against Mrs. Puris are illegal and we look forward to fighting for their rights," they said.

Puris previously worked at Alphabet's Google, Facebook's Meta, and other major advertising agencies, according to his complaint.

The lawsuit accuses TikTok and ByteDance of violating New York's federal and state laws as well as city laws prohibiting discrimination in the workplace and retaliation. Puris sought unspecified compensation for its economic loss, pain and suffering, as well as damage to his reputation and career.