The short video network is considered a threat to national security according to the US government
The chief executive of the Chinese company TikTok, Kevin Mayer, has resigned just days after the president of the United States, Donald Trump, threatened to ban the use of the network in the United States. Mayer joined TikTok in June after leaving his position as head of streaming services for Disney.
The former Disney senior executive resigns just a few months after his appointment by the Chinese short video platform. The Chinese-owned company has been accused of being a risk to the national security of the United States by the Trump administration.
TikTok recently received a 90-day deadline to be sold to an American company or should face its ban in the United States. “In recent weeks, as the political environment has changed dramatically, I have made significant thought about what the corporate structural changes will require and what they mean for the global role I signed up for,” Mayer said in a letter to various international media.
However, and despite the fact that the talks between the company and Trump continue, Mayer, assures in the letter that “in this context, and as we hope to reach a resolution very soon, I want to let you know with great regret that I have decided to leave the company.”
The Trump administration maintains that TikTok poses a “threat” to the national security of the United States, which is why it prevented its transactions as of next September 15 and is seeking to force its sale to an American company such as Microsoft, which has shown interest in the popular social network.
TikTok, which has more than 80 million users in the US, is one of the social networks that has grown the most in recent years, where it has become the main entertainment for many teenagers and a marketing channel for important celebrities.
China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs opposes the forced sale of TikTok, an operation that in its opinion violates the principles of the World Trade Organization (WTO).
In fact, the Chinese government sees the intention to sell TikTok as another chapter in the trade war between Beijing and Washington, which tries to contain the growing technological power of the Asian giant, which has already seen how the telecommunications firm Huawei has had to face restrictions.