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Washington puts heat on US executives at Chinese firms, with TikTok latest example

  • China links are increasingly stressful and unpredictable for American professionals in business, think tanks and academia
  • High-profile defections from Chinese companies are growing as Trump administration increases pressure

Reading Time:7 minutes
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China links are increasingly stressful and unpredictable for American professionals in business, think tanks and academia. Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
Mark Magnier
The sudden resignation in late August of TikTok’s American chief executive Kevin Mayer after just three months on the job underscores the searing pressure professionals at Chinese companies are facing as US-China relations deteriorate, the Trump administration targets tech firms and election season accusations fly.
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“We are in a new Cold War with China and the US,” said Richard Levick, chief executive of the Levick crisis management firm that represents Chinese clients. “And there’s lots of collateral damage.”

Mayer’s surprise departure from TikTok came amid an intense US government campaign against the social media platform – famous for short dance and music videos – including executive orders by US President Donald Trump intended to cripple its US operations and force a sale to American owners within 90 days.

The administration contends that TikTok, WeChat, Huawei and other Chinese companies could pass on sensitive information to Beijing and pose other security risks, charges the businesses deny. TikTok suitors, including Microsoft, Oracle, Twitter and Walmart, are reportedly interested in buying the privately held firm, valued by some at upwards of US$50 billion, although Beijing says it must approve any sale.
TikTok’s chief executive Kevin Mayer has quite the social media platform. Photo: Getty Images
TikTok’s chief executive Kevin Mayer has quite the social media platform. Photo: Getty Images
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“If Kevin stayed inside Chinese-owned TikTok, it could be a career killer, especially as Trump makes China into America’s Enemy No 1,” said Gordon Feller, a former Cisco Systems executive and now a board member with Citadel Threat Management, a drone detection company in California. “I think this is going to be a big setback for a lot of American executives who’ve been hired by successful Chinese companies.”

In his resignation letter – echoed separately by TikTok’s owner, the Chinese technology giant ByteDance – Mayer blamed shifting US politics and reduced space to run TikTok effectively, given the overwhelming pressure to sell. He was leaving with “a heavy heart”, he added.

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