TikTok has named Adam Presser as CEO of its new U.S. joint venture. This is a key move to address regulatory issues and improve the company’s operations in the United States.
Presser, a Harvard Business School and Harvard Law School graduate, takes charge at a critical moment as TikTok restructures its American business to reassure lawmakers and protect user trust.
The new company, TikTok USDS Joint Venture, will be mostly owned by American investors. ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, will keep a 19.9% minority stake. This change comes after the U.S. government pushed to reduce foreign control of big digital platforms.
Presser already has experience at TikTok. He was chief of staff to CEO Shou Zi Chew and later led operations and trust & safety.
Now living in Los Angeles, he will manage TikTok’s daily U.S. operations and act as the public face of the company in America.
Industry experts say his promotion brings stability and credibility because he understands both TikTok’s operations and U.S. regulations well.
Presser went to Harvard-Westlake School in California, then earned his undergraduate and master’s degrees at Yale, focusing on East Asian languages and culture. He became interested in China in high school through Chinese films and later studied abroad.
He later earned both an MBA and a law degree from Harvard, giving him a unique mix of business and legal skills.
Nearly Two Decades of Corporate Experience
Before joining TikTok, Presser held senior positions at major global companies, including:
- Ticketmaster, where he worked in China
- Warner Bros. Entertainment
- WarnerMedia, where he oversaw operations in China, Australia, and New Zealand
His international background should help TikTok manage its global operations and meet U.S. data protection and governance rules.
New Ownership Structure
Under the new joint venture:
- ByteDance holds 19.9%
- Oracle, Silver Lake, and Abu Dhabi’s MGX each own about 15%
- Other American investors make up the remaining stake
TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew will sit on the board, along with representatives from major investors.
The restructuring is meant to address worries that foreign governments could influence the platform or access American user data.
The U.S. venture comes after years of political pressure, including threats to ban TikTok unless it separated from Chinese control. Lawmakers have often raised concerns about national security and data privacy.
With Presser in charge of the U.S. business, TikTok wants to show stability as it shifts to a more regulated and locally managed structure.
Experts think the new leadership means TikTok is evolving, not starting over completely.
The company is expected to keep offering the same TikTok experience, but now under stricter U.S. oversight.
