TikTok sought to reassure its American workers on Tuesday that they will still have jobs next week even if the Supreme Court upholds a law that would see the video app banned in the United States on Sunday.
The message changes tone from TikTok, which has said it is confident it will emerge victorious from the legal challenge. It also shows that the company does not plan to leave the United States in the near future, even if it is banned.
TikTok, which is owned by Chinese company ByteDance, is fighting a law last year that would have banned the app unless its US operations were sold to a non-Chinese owner. TikTok sent a message to its employees on Tuesday acknowledging uncertainty about the upcoming decision and assuring employees that they will continue to be paid. The Supreme Court is expected to issue a ruling before the law comes into force on Sunday.
“Your employment, salary and benefits are protected, and our offices will remain open, even if this situation is not resolved before the Jan. 19 deadline,” wrote Nicky Raghavan, TikTok’s global head of human resources, in a message. found by the New York Times. “The bill is not written in a way that affects the organizations you are employed by, only the information of US users.”
The law would have penalized app stores and hosting services for distributing or updating the TikTok app, effectively banning the platform. It will not force the closure of TikTok’s offices in the United States.
The message also noted: “Our leadership team remains focused on planning for various scenarios and continuing to plan the way forward.”
The note, which praised employees for their “toughness and dedication”, is one of the few internal acknowledgments of the company’s legal battle in recent months. Despite the current threat facing TikTok, there has been little acknowledgment within the company that it could soon be shut down in the United States, former employees told The Times in November. The management, at times, made light of the situation, suggesting in one hand meeting that one day it would be a Hollywood movie, some of them said.
TikTok did not immediately respond to a question about the number of its latest employees in the United States, but a message was sent to the internal channel “US Team News” which has more than 13,000 employees. TikTok previously said it has more than 7,000 American employees.
“As we await the US Supreme Court’s decision before Jan. 19, we know you have many questions and wish we could provide you with a clear road map for next steps,” Ms. Raghavan wrote. He added, “We know it’s weird not knowing exactly what’s going to happen next.”
Source link
