[News Figures] TikTok CEO Zhou Shouzi Advocates for 'Freedom of TikTok' in US Congress

Singaporean Chinese of Chinese descent... "Not from China"
Resisting TikTok ban plans but... persuasion seems difficult

"TikTok will be free from manipulation by any government."

On the 23rd (local time), Zhou Shouzi, CEO of TikTok, appeared at a hearing held by the House Energy and Commerce Committee in the U.S. Congress in Washington D.C. Wearing a short haircut, a blue tie, and a navy suit, he actively responded to questions while facing sharp gazes from aggressive U.S. lawmakers, proclaiming TikTok's independence. He argued, "We do not promote or delete content at the request of the Chinese government," and stated, "(ByteDance, TikTok's parent company in China) is not an agent of China or any other country's authorities."

Zhou Shouzi TikTok CEO
Photo by AP News

As discussions about banning TikTok are underway in Western countries including the U.S. and Europe, CEO Zhou Shouzi stands on the front lines fighting against this. On this day, foreign media including The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) focused their attention on him appearing before the U.S. Congress.

◆ Zhou Shouzi: Former Goldman Sachs Banker of Singaporean Chinese Descent

Born in 1983 and 40 years old, Zhou holds Singaporean nationality and is of Chinese descent. He has served as TikTok's CEO since May 2021. Fluent in English and Chinese, he has a deep understanding of both Eastern and Western cultures. He spent his school years attending an elite Chinese school in Singapore. He graduated from University College London and during his time at Harvard Business School, he interned at Facebook, providing him with an environment to learn both Eastern and Western cultures simultaneously.

Right after graduating from university, he worked for two years at Goldman Sachs' London office in the UK, during which he first connected with ByteDance, TikTok's parent company. At that time, as a Goldman Sachs employee, he met ByteDance co-founders Zhang Yiming and Liang Rubo through an introduction by Digital Sky Technologies (DST), a Russian venture capital firm. Zhou left Goldman Sachs to work at DST and participated in ByteDance's early investment activities in 2013 while at DST.

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

In 2015, at the age of 32, Zhou became the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Xiaomi in China, and three years later, in 2018, he played a key role in Xiaomi's listing on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. Observing this process, ByteDance founder Zhang contacted him in 2021 to offer the position of ByteDance's first CFO, which he accepted.

Zhou became TikTok CEO just three months later. At that time, former U.S. President Donald Trump issued an executive order demanding TikTok sell its U.S. operations, leading to the resignation of then-CEO Kevin Mayer, formerly of Disney, and Zhou took over the position. Aware of U.S. pressure, TikTok introduced him as a "Singaporean living in Singapore, not from China."

Zhou himself emphasized at the hearing that he is Singaporean and that his wife is a Taiwanese-American born in the U.S.

Some interpret this as an attempt to use his Singaporean identity to exclude connections with China. Critics argue that he is being used as a "puppet" or "figurehead" to create the impression that there is little connection with China.

◆ Pre-Hearing Public Relations Campaign, but the Outcome is 'Uncertain'

Before the hearing, CEO Zhou Shouzi actively conducted a public relations campaign to create a favorable environment for TikTok. It appears he tried to pressure the U.S. government based on the voices of TikTok users. He emphasized that TikTok has 150 million users in the U.S., placed advertisements in foreign media such as The New York Times (NYT), and requested TikTok creators in the U.S. to hold press conferences in front of Congress before the hearing.

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

On the 21st, he posted a 1 minute and 13 seconds video on his TikTok account asking TikTok users to "send messages to the lawmakers." He appealed, "This is a critical moment for us. TikTok could be taken away from 150 million (American) users."

However, foreign media evaluated that Zhou Shouzi failed to persuade U.S. lawmakers at the hearing. When questioned whether all Chinese access to American TikTok user data was blocked, he admitted that some ByteDance Chinese employees still have access. He stated that through collaboration with Oracle in the U.S., all American user data would be managed within the U.S. However, lawmakers criticized, saying "TikTok collects almost all data," and "It will continue to operate under the protection of the Chinese Communist Party."

The Washington Post (WP) reported, "After being hammered for five hours in Congress, TikTok faces an uncertain future," and CNBC stated, "TikTok's CEO was reprimanded by bipartisan lawmakers over relations with China."