SINGAPORE: Entertainment platform TikTok has begun laying off employees worldwide, affecting multiple regions, including Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Among those impacted are staff from the company’s Trust & Safety department.
According to sources, Adam Presser, TikTok’s Head of Operations responsible for Trust & Safety, informed employees of the restructuring plan yesterday (Feb 20). The layoffs reportedly occurred on the same day across various teams in different regions.
TikTok has yet to issue an official statement on the matter. However, CNA reports that online discussions suggest that employees in TikTok’s Singapore office were also affected.
The company operates global headquarters in Los Angeles and Singapore, with additional offices in New York, London, Dublin, Paris, Berlin, Dubai, Jakarta, Seoul, and Tokyo. The scale and specifics of the job cuts in each location remain unclear.
The layoffs come amid increasing scrutiny of TikTok’s operations worldwide, particularly in areas concerning user safety, data privacy, and regulatory compliance. It remains to be seen how these workforce reductions will impact the platform’s content moderation and security measures moving forward.