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Kevin Mayer

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Kevin Mayer TikTok CEO resigns as Trump administration plans to ban.

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Media has been flooding with the news regarding Chinese apps and its role in privacy breaches since the outburst of the novel coronavirus. Once the pandemic took a toll on all our lives, from vivid facts to conspiracy theories have come up regarding China being responsible for this havoc. Though the other nations suspect COVID-19 as a biological weapon, there is no strong evidence supporting it. But, seeing China as a threat to the world especially the U.S., Trump administration decided to ban the Chinese apps mainly TikTok and WeChat.

The Big news 

The relationship between China and the U.S has gotten stale with Trump announcing the ban on Chinese apps. To expand the Clean Network, Trump gave a deadline until mid-September to sell the assets of TikTok to any other company. With Trump accusing such Chinese apps of information theft, political battles have increased since the last month. Amongst this grave tension, Kevin Mayer, the new CEO of TikTok decided to step down yesterday. In the meantime, Vanessa Papas, the current general manager of TikTok will take his position as the interim head.

Why Kevin Mayer stepped down?

It has been only 100 days since Kevin Mayer, former Disney executive joined the most famous small video making Chinese app, TikTok owned by ByteDance. Kevin Mayer made a big decision resigning from Disney to become the CEO of TikTok, but unfortunately, everything went haywire. After Trump gave an order earlier this month to ban the Chinese apps like TikTok and WeChat, the disturbance created between Beijing and Washington.

Before the ban of TikTok in the U.S., India banned all the Chinese apps mainly because of the dispute regarding the LAC. With all these political tensions not stopping anytime sooner, Kevin’s scope in TikTok might not go as expected. So, his decision to step down from the company is completely understandable, said a TikTok’s spokesperson to TechCrunch. Moreover, only a few days back TikTok sued the U.S. government for false accusations against the company.

Kevin Mayer
Image Source: indianexpress.com

The fight that both the TikTok and the U.S. government have picked up will have harsh consequences in the future for both sides. Kevin Mayer didn’t expect political tension of this intensity to fall upon his reign and hence he decided to step down. Moreover, the timeline of becoming the newest CEO of the company and the political rivalry has clashed coincidentally. But, Kevin has all the right to get far away from this growing tension and seek a better career opportunity.

Why did Trump order a ban on Chinese apps?

On 6th August 2020, Trump signed an executive order thus banning TikTok and WeChat within a timeline of 45 days. Trump accused these Chinese apps of stealing data that might harm the privacy of the U.S. citizens and compromise the national security of the nation. He also supported India’s act of banning 59 Chinese apps and decided it is time the U.S. takes some strict action against this information theft. It banned all U.S. citizens to conduct any transaction through these platforms or any brand from the U.S. to advertise their products.

This was a big blow for TikTok as the U.S. served as one of the biggest markets for the platform. In 2020, TikTok gained revenue of $200 million for the U.S. alone. Getting banned from the U.S. brought a huge loss for the company. Moreover, with China being thrashed everywhere in social media for the COVID-19 pandemic, the company should keep fingers crossed until any other nation takes a bold step.

Bargaining over the U.S. assets of TikTok

After Trump administration imposed banned on the U.S. operations of TikTok, many companies have come forward for buying them. Microsoft being the first company to take interest in buying the U.S. operations of TikTok, Trump was interested to sell it. Meanwhile, Twitter showed interest in buying the company’s U.S. assets but this decision was questioned. The market capitalization of Twitter is almost equal to the TikTok’s value of U.S. operation while Microsoft’s valuation is in trillions. So, it becomes crystal clear who might win the bidding. Apart from Microsoft and Twitter, Oracle is the third bidder. But, till now Microsoft is winning the race.

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Disney Plus Head Kevin Mayer Quits Disney to Join TikTok!

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The entertainment industry has been set ablaze by news of a resignation. Kevin Mayer, who heads the Disney Corporation’s video streaming venture, has officially stepped down from his post. In a rather shocking move, Mayer will now join as the CEO of TikTok. Furthermore, he will also become the COO of the company that owns TikTok, ByteDance. Here’s a look at how the shift came to be, and what it means for the entertainment industry. 

Wheels in Motion

TikTok is an industry leader when it comes to short-form video content, but the move has shocked millions. Disney CEO, Bob Chapek released a statement yesterday, wherein he thanked Mayer for all his input and work. He also stated that Mayer had a massive impact on Disney and that he was a fantastic head to their direct-to-consumer market.

Mayer’s responsibilities at ByteDance will include overseeing the development, sales, public affairs, and moderation. The company released its own press release, wherein they stated that Mayer will lead divisions such as music, Helo, new businesses, and even gaming. Mayer will begin working at ByteDance from the 1st of June, and as CEO of TikTok, will be responsible for aiding in its stellar growth, moving forward. 

Years at Disney

Mayer will forever be known in the entertainment and media industry for being the brain behind Disney Plus. The corporation’s large streaming platform launched last November to widespread acclaim. Within such a short period, the platform has already gained over 50 million subscribers. Other than this, his other claim-to-fame include paving the way for significant acquisitions such as Pixar, Marvel, 21st Century Fox, and Lucasfilm.

Mayer, along with CEO Bob Iger, brought in a new era for Disney, through their lucrative partnerships and deals. While at Disney, Mayer was also involved with ESPN+ and the integration of Hulu, apart from his other high-profile acquisitions. Within the industry, there were already talks of Mayer taking over the mantle from Iger. However, when Iger finally made the decision in February, he chose Chapek over Mayer. Speculations have already risen, stating that this might have been the biggest reason for this sudden switch. 

Disney’s Way Ahead

Before taking over Disney, Chapek was in charge of the company’s various theme parks. Rebecca Campbell, who will now serve as the Chairman of Disney’s direct-to-customer services will replace the void left behind by Mayer. Campbell is an experienced veteran with over 23 years’ worth of experience within the industry. She served previously as the President of Disneyland Resort and oversaw their properties in California. Disney made further announcements stating that Josh D’Amaro would take over as chairman of Disney Parks. Both these new heads will also directly report to Chapek.

Role at TikTok

Mayer will face several challenges while trying to grow TikTok, in the years to come. The social media industry is one of the most competitive out there. Therefore, keeping TikTok popular alongside competitors like Facebook and Snapchat will not be easy.

In Mayer’s statement, he made it clear that he would love to take on the new challenge. He also stated that he was delighted to have gotten the opportunity to help lead their next phase of growth and development. Mayer will work on expanding the short-form video content generator across the world and improving its products and services. He also stated that he loved working for Disney and that he was very proud of the work he had done there. The opportunity presented to him by TikTok was huge, and Mayer states that he thought it was the right time to move to bigger opportunities.