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| Shao Ziqiu: The chief executive of TikTok, who does not allow his children to use the app |
Growing mistrust of TikTok around the world and the threat of a possible ban in the U.S. have drawn attention to the popular social network's enigmatic chief executive officer, Shao Ziqiu, who on Thursday testified before the U.S. House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee. Faced with sharp questions from the committee.
Shao, 40, appeared before a US House of Representatives committee on allegations of TikTok's privacy policy and alleged ties to the Chinese government, where he claimed the Chinese government did not have access to TikTok's data.
The CEO of Tik Tok said that Tik Tok works like the rest of the industry in obtaining information from users, but he told the US committee that the record of US companies in protecting user information is not good.
It should be noted that in this committee, he also encountered an American congressman who said that "I believe that Tik Tok is a spy in the pocket of Americans who cannot be trusted."
Little is known about the extent of Shao's influence within the TikTok company.
Until now, TikTok's COO Vanessa Pappas has been the company's public face, having been subpoenaed by the US Congress last year on information access and China transfers.
In September last year, the American newspaper New York Times wrote, citing former employees of Tik Tok and ByteDance, that Shao has limited powers and the real power in the company lies with Zhan Yiming, the founder of ByteDance.
What do we know about Shao Ziqiu?
The TikTok app is making Shao its public face at a time when the company is facing questions and criticism in various parts of the world over its ties to the Chinese government.
In June last year, Shao claimed in a letter to US lawmakers that Tik Tok operates independently of ByteDance and pointed out that he is not a Chinese citizen but a resident of Singapore and that Singapore I live.
Born in Singapore, Shao received his early education in a Chinese school and is fluent in English and Chinese.
During his compulsory military service in Singapore, he rose to the rank of an officer in the country's army.
He then obtained a degree in economics from University College London in the United Kingdom and then attended Harvard Business School in the United States where he completed his MBA.
After graduation, he worked at Facebook for a while during the early days of the social media platform.
According to media reports, he worked at the investment firm DST for five years where he led a team that invested in ByteDance in 2013.
Shaw also worked as a banker at Goldman Sachs for two years.
Shao was the chief financial officer and president of international business at the Chinese smartphone company Xiaomi. In 2018, he played an important role in Xiaomi's IPO.
Shaw joined Byte Dance in March 2021 and became the first Chief Financial Officer.
Just two months later, he was made CEO of TikTok when Kevin Mayer resigned from the position.
The big challenge for Shaw
Shao is facing the biggest challenge so far in his Tik Tok career. US lawmakers are demanding the company sell its US assets or face a ban in the country.
This issue has now become a new dispute between the US and China.
China's state-run newspaper Global Times wrote in an editorial published on Tuesday that "the attempt to ban TikTok is the result of a toxic political environment in the United States that would violate free market principles."
The newspaper wrote that "Tik Tok's Chinese connection is a sin in the eyes of American officials and politicians."
Last February, a year after joining the company, he opened his own TikTok account and showed details of his private life through it.
Shaw showed his 18,000 followers pictures of him attending various events and meeting celebrities.
At the same time, he started giving more time to the media and continues to talk about his life and hobbies in interviews. He said in an interview that he plays golf and is a fan of comedian Kevin Hart.
Shaw is married and has two children. His wife, Vivian Kao, is also the chief executive of an investment firm.
Interestingly, Shao recently admitted that he does not allow his children to use TikTok because they are too young.
In recent days, he has tried to establish the impression in the American media that Tik Tok is not a threat to American interests.
He has also requested the help of the American people. In a video on his account this week, he asked US TikTok users to tell him what they liked about TikTok so that he could take these points forward during his appearance before a congressional committee.
In the video, Shao said, "This is a very important time because about 15 million people could be deprived of access to Tik Tok."