 "TikTok continues to hire hundreds of Chinese workers for US office, despite ongoing US divestment case")
Despite the ongoing scrutiny from US officials and a pending legal battle over its future in the country, TikTok has continued to hire a significant number of employees from China for its US operations.
According to data from US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), TikTok and its parent company, ByteDance, hired 669 Chinese nationals through H-1B visa applications between October 2022 and September 2023.
This marked a 50 per cent increase from the previous year and accounted for the majority of the 1,089 H-1B visa approvals granted to the companies during this period.
The use of the H-1B visa programme allows companies to recruit foreign workers with specialised skills that are not readily available in the US workforce.
However, TikTok’s heavy reliance on hiring talent from China stands out, with 61 per cent of its approved H-1B applications in 2023 going to Chinese nationals, far surpassing the 12 per cent average across all companies for Chinese applicants.
Notably, 14 of these hires were placed in TikTok’s US Data Security Division (USDS), a team created to safeguard US user data from potential interference by the Chinese government. Roles in this division included positions in data science, fraud strategy, systems analysis, and software engineering.
Yet, the hiring of Chinese nationals for security-related roles has raised eyebrows, especially given the national security concerns surrounding TikTok’s ties to Beijing-based ByteDance.
US Senator Tom Cotton has been among the most vocal critics, expressing alarm over foreign nationals working at TikTok’s offices in the US. In a letter to the Department of Homeland Security in November 2022, he questioned whether these hires undermined TikTok’s assurances about US-based teams managing American user data.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsThe company’s hiring practices come as TikTok faces increasing pressure to sever its ties with ByteDance or risk being banned from US app stores. A law passed in April gave ByteDance a deadline to divest TikTok’s US assets, with the app potentially facing removal in January if it does not comply.
TikTok is currently fighting this mandate in court, but experts suggest the company may have limited options if it fails to secure a favourable outcome.
Despite the backlash, TikTok argues that its data is managed by a US-based team independent from Chinese oversight and that no information is shared with the Chinese government. Nevertheless, concerns persist, especially given the influence ByteDance exerts over TikTok operations.
Previous reports have indicated that key product decisions for TikTok are often made by ByteDance staff in Beijing, and the company’s culture reflects its Chinese parent’s influence through shared values known as “ByteStyles.”
While TikTok has distanced itself publicly from China, ByteDance’s role remains evident. The company continues to leverage its Chinese roots, using TikTok’s Chinese sister app, Douyin, to test features before bringing them to the US market.
Additionally, ByteDance has been involved in connecting Chinese e-commerce experts with US partners for TikTok’s social-shopping feature, TikTok Shop, further intertwining the operations of both entities.
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