TikTok CEO Shou Chew released a video message on social media shortly after the Supreme Court announced its decision to uphold legislation banning the video-sharing app.
The ruling comes as the law is set to take effect on Sunday, which will prohibit app stores from making TikTok available for users to download.
The CEO explained that the company has “been fighting to protect the constitutional right to free speech for the more than 170 million Americans who use our platform every day to connect, create, discover, and achieve our dreams.”
Chew thanked President-elect Donald Trump “for his commitment to work with us to find a solution that keeps TikTok available in the United States” and said it is a “strong stand for the First Amendment, and against arbitrary censorship.”
As we've said, TikTok is a place where people can create communities, discover new interests, and express themselves, including over seven million American businesses who are in the living and gain new customers using our platform. We are grateful and pleased to have the support of a president who truly understands our platform, one who has used TikTok to express his own thoughts and perspectives, connecting with the world and generating more than 60 billion views of his content in the process.
Chew ended his message by affirming that TikTok “will do everything in our power to ensure our platform thrives as your online home for limitless creativity and discovery, as well as a source of inspiration and joy for years to come.”
TikTok CEO's response to Supreme Court decision to uphold TikTok ban pic.twitter.com/bIZnP24wHi
— BNO News Live (@BNODesk) January 17, 2025
President-elect Trump, after having supported the ban, has reversed course and is seeking out ways to keep the app active. In a post on Truth Social, he said the ruling was “expected” and that his “decision on TikTok will be made in the not too distant future.”
The Supreme Court issued its ruling on Friday, acknowledging arguments made in support of the ban about concerns over ByteDance, the China-based company that owns TikTok. The court affirmed concerns that the company would be forced to provide data on American users to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
The law, passed in April 2023, mandated that ByteDance either sell the app to another company or it would be banned. There are indications suggesting that Trump might use executive action to buy the company more time to sell the app so that its operations are not interrupted. However, some have argued that this strategy might not work.
Chew indicated earlier that if the Supreme Court upheld the ban, the app might go dark on Sunday. However, users will still be able to use the app, but won't be able to download updates, which would render the service inoperable over time.
President Joe Biden indicated that he would not take action to enforce the law on his last day in office, allowing Trump to handle the situation when he takes over on Monday. Even if Trump declares that he will not enforce the law, it is unclear whether Apple, Google, or other tech companies will comply with it anyway. For the time being, the fate of the app is in flux and there might not be a resolution forthcoming for the foreseeable future.
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