TikTok Joins Wave of Tech Industry Layoffs

TikTok has recently joined the list of tech firms experiencing layoffs, as confirmed by a company spokesperson to NPR. The popular short-form video platform has reduced its workforce by approximately 60 employees. These cuts primarily affected the sales and advertising department, impacting offices in the United States — including Los Angeles, New York, and Austin — as well as international locations. The company described these layoffs as part of a regular reorganization process. However, NPR suggests that the decision was driven by a need to reduce costs.

This development is not isolated within TikTok's corporate family. ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, also implemented significant job cuts at Nuverse, the developer behind Marvel Snap, last year. TikTok itself underwent layoffs in the middle of 2022, attributed to a global restructuring, followed by another round of cuts in early 2023 that targeted its recruitment staff in Dublin. Although the recent layoffs represent a small portion of ByteDance's extensive global workforce of approximately 150,000, NPR points out that this indicates broader challenges facing the tech industry.