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TikTok eyes new foreign headquarters to distance itself from Chinese ownership
- London is among one of several locations the company has been considering, as it faces heavy scrutiny in Washington over data privacy concerns
- It was not immediately clear what other locations have been under consideration. But the company has hired aggressively in California this year
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TikTok has been in discussions with the British government over the past few months to locate its headquarters in London, a source familiar with the matter said, as part of a strategy to distance itself from its Chinese ownership.
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London is among one of several locations the company is considering, but no decisions have been made, the source said.
It was not immediately clear what other locations are under consideration. But it has hired aggressively in California this year, including poaching Kevin Mayer, a former Walt Disney Company executive, to be TikTok’s chief executive. He is based in the United States.
TikTok is facing heavy scrutiny in Washington over suspicions Beijing could force the company to turn over user data. TikTok is owned by China-based ByteDance.
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The source said the company is largely focused on its issues in the US over the last few weeks, but has not ruled out London as a potential location for its new headquarters. TikTok is expected to “significantly” increase the size of its workforce in London and other key locations outside China over the next several years, the source said.
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