Amid growing global suspicions about TikTok, which could lead to a US ban on the Chinese app, enigmatic CEO Shou Zi Chew has now come under the spotlight.
The 40-year-old Singaporean is set to testify before the US House of Representatives’ Energy and Trade Committee on Thursday about the app’s data security and privacy practices and its alleged ties to Beijing.
Little is known about how he works or how much power he really has in the company.
Chief Operating Officer Vanessa Pappas was the public face of TikTok and was grilled by Congress over US data flows to China last September.
A New York Times profile last September citing former TikTok and ByteDance executives also suggested that Mr. Chew’s ability to make decisions is limited and that ByteDance founder Zhang Yiming is holding the reins of the company.
But TikTok is now publicly focusing on Mr Chew, at a time when TikTok’s ties to the Chinese government are coming under scrutiny.
In a letter to lawmakers last June emphasizing that it operates independently from parent company ByteDance, the company has indicated that it’s not from China, but “a Singaporean based in Singapore.”
Born and raised in the city-state, he attended an elite Chinese-language school and is fluent in English and Mandarin. He was an officer in Singapore’s armed forces – a prestigious post – while doing his compulsory military service.
Mr Chew earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from University College London before going to Harvard Business School, where he earned an MBA and also did an internship at social media giant Facebook when it was a start-up.
According to media reports, he spent five years at investment firm DST, where he led a team that became early investors in ByteDance in 2013. He also worked as an investment banker at Goldman Sachs for two years.
Mr. Chew then played a significant role at Chinese smartphone giant Xiaomi, where he was Chief Financial Officer and International Business President, and guided it through its 2018 IPO.
He joined ByteDance in March 2021, becoming the first person to fill the role of Chief Financial Officer at the media giant.
Just two months later, he assumed the role of TikTok’s CEO after his predecessor, Kevin Mayer, abruptly resigned when the Trump administration attempted to force a sale of TikTok’s US assets.
Mr. Chew now faces one of the biggest challenges of his career with TikTok as US lawmakers ask the company to divest ownership of its US assets or face a ban.
The issue has also become a sticking point for the Chinese.
State-run media outlet Global Times said in an opinion piece on Tuesday that the push for a TikTok ban was fueled by a “toxic American political atmosphere” and violated free market principles. “In the eyes of American officials and politicians, TikTok’s Chinese background is an ‘original sin,'” it added.
Mr Chew, who has come under scrutiny from both sides, seems to have been on something of a charm offensive in recent months.
Last February, he set up his own TikTok account @shou.time to share insights into his private life – almost a year after taking the helm of the platform. Mr. Chew’s nearly 18,000 followers have since seen him attend the Super Bowl and NBA games, meet celebrities like Bill Murray, and awkwardly attempt to dance with singer Ciara.
He has worked in the media and revealed in interviews that he is an avid golfer and a fan of comedian Kevin Hart. The father-of-two, who is married to investment firm CEO Vivian Kao, has also said he doesn’t allow his children to use TikTok as they are “too young”.
In recent days, he has been making the rounds in major US media, repeatedly asserting that TikTok poses no threat to US interests.
He has also directly reached out to the app’s US users for help. In a video posted to TikTok’s official account in Washington Monday night, he asked them to tell him what they wanted to say to lawmakers.
In the clip, which has garnered more than half a million likes, he says: “This comes at a pivotal moment for us. That could take TikTok away from all 150 million of you.”
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