TikTok Tells U.S. Employees Will Still Have Jobs Despite Ban

The social media platform's future remains uncertain.

As TikTok’s shutdown in the United States looms, the social media platform is telling its U.S. employees they will still have jobs even if the Supreme Court does not intervene to save the company.

“I cannot emphasize enough that your well-being is a top priority, and so most importantly, I want to reinforce that as employees in the US, your employment, pay, and benefits are secure, and our offices will remain open, even if this situation hasn’t been resolved before the January 19 deadline,” a memo to TikTok employees obtained by Reuters, reads.

In December, TikTok’s attorneys asked the Supreme Court to overturn a federal appeals court ruling that would prohibit the short-video social media app from being used in the U.S. if the Chinese owner, ByteDance, does not sell the company.

Last year, President Joe Biden signed the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act (PAFACA), which ultimately grants the government authority to ban foreign-owned apps that threaten national security. Surprisingly, the bill received significant bipartisan support in a deeply divided Congress. Lawmakers worried that the Chinese government could access Americans’ data and use it to surveil Americans and spread misinformation despite the app being banned in China.

TikTok has said that the concerns are meritless and challenges that the ban infringes on Americans’ First Amendment rights.

However, the Supreme Court seemed inclined to uphold the lower court of appeals decision just last week. Shutting down TikTok would impact roughly 170 million Americans who use the popular social media app. President-elect Donald Trump and lawmakers have called for extending the Jan. 19 deadline.

According to NBC News, the Biden administration is considering ways to keep the app going so it doesn’t immediately go dark on Sunday. The law Biden signed in April 2024 gives him authority to grant a one-time 90-day extension if “significant progress” has been made toward the divestment.