TikTok announced Kevin Mayer will become its next CEO.
After presiding as chairman of Disney’s Direct-to-Consumer and International segment since its founding in 2018 and overseeing the release of Disney Plus, ESPN Plus and the integration of Hulu, Kevin Mayer will become the next CEO of TikTok, which has become the perfect video platform for showcasing the insane things people will do when stuck at home for two months. Mayer had widely been considered a front-runner for the Disney top job after Bob Iger stepped aside.
According to Variety, Mayer is also being named chief operating officer of ByteDance, the Chinese internet giant that is TikTok’s parent company. In his new role, he is set to face multiple concerns that have arisen as the app boomed in popularity about the platform’s security and privacy. Those include its ties to China’s government, as well as allegations that TikTok continues to violate a U.S. children’s privacy law. In March, TikTok hired cybersecurity veteran Roland Cloutier as chief information security officer.
“I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to join the amazing team at ByteDance,” Mayer said in a statement. “Like everyone else, I’ve been impressed watching the company build something incredibly rare in TikTok – a creative, positive online global community – and I’m excited to help lead the next phase of ByteDance’s journey as the company continues to expand its breadth of products across every region of the world.”
Disneyland Resort president Rebecca Campbell will succeed Mayer as chairman of Direct-to-Consumer and International. Walt Disney World Resort president Josh D’Amaro has also been named chairman of Disney Parks, Experiences and Products, taking over that role from Bob Chapek, who was elevated to Disney CEO in February.
