TikTok is one of the tech companies that could have a major impact on the outcome of the US election. But as election results loom, its employees find themselves sharply divided in a high-stakes political game that could determine the fate of the program.
The San Jose-based product manager, who asked not to be identified because he is not authorized to speak to the media, says he was more concerned about TikTok’s ban before he joined the company earlier this year than he is now. He says his colleagues rarely reveal the title, and his team is planning future product features in the app as if no ban is imminent.
He says: “I feel that I care.” “There is little you can do as an average worker, and everyone else thinks so, so the result is business as usual.”
WIRED spoke to half a dozen employees at TikTok and parent company ByteDance on condition of anonymity, and all reported little, if any, discussion of the US election or politics within their ranks.
While outsiders are speculating about the app’s possible demise, TikTok’s US employees say ban talks are mostly with international partners or non-ByteDance partners. “It is almost agreed that this matter cannot be discussed. Sometimes, some of us might say maybe it’s time to jump, but those conversations rarely come up,” said TikTok’s product manager.
In April, the Protection of Americans from Foreign Adversarial Controlled Applications Act (PAFACA) was signed into law, requiring TikTok to sell its US operations to a domestic buyer or be banned. But months later, the topic was largely out of the headlines as politicians continued to talk about China in the lead-up to the election.
So far, Kamala Harris has not said anything about what she will do to TikTok as US president, but experts expect her to more or less implement the technology policy of the Biden administration, including following the PAFACA Act.
Donald Trump, meanwhile, publicly backed off his 2020 stance on banning the app after it was reported that he was being lobbied by Jeff Yass, the billionaire financier of ByteDance. Recently, Trump said in a September campaign video that “to all who want to save TikTok in America, vote for Trump.” But he hasn’t made saving TikTok a major talking point in his campaigns, and people aren’t sure if he’ll support his latest idea if elected.