TikTok parent Bytedance starts layoffs in India after permanent ban

Kolkata: TikTok parent Bytedance Inc. has started large-scale layoffs in India, after the short-video platform, along with 58 other Chinese apps were permanently banned by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.

Interim CEO Vanessa Pappas and VP Blake Chandlee informed employees about the development on Wednesday morning, saying that they must eliminate significant number of positions.

The government had banned 59 Chinese apps in June last year, calling them “prejudicial” to India’s sovereignty, integrity and national security. The answers and clarifications following the ban were found to be inadequate, according to MeitY, and hence the temporary block has now been made permanent.

In an official statement, the company said they had worked steadfastly to comply with the Government of India order issued on 29 June 2020. “We continually strive to make our apps comply with local laws and regulations and do our best to address any concerns they have. It is therefore disappointing that in the ensuing seven months, despite our efforts we have not been given a clear direction on how and when our apps could be reinstated,” said the statement.

“It is deeply regretful that after supporting our 2000+ employees in India for more than half a year, we have no choice but to scale back the size of our workforce. We look forward to receiving the opportunity to relaunch TikTok and support the hundreds of millions of users, artists, storytellers, educators and performers in India,” the statement added.

ByteDance’s top apps include TikTok and Helo. As reported by ET earlier, after the ban last year, the company had become a hunting group for large technology and media companies, and seen many exits.