TikTok CEO resigns amid pressure from the US to sell video app

TikTok CEO Kevin Mayer resigned on Thursday amid pressure from the US for its Chinese owner to sell the popular video app, which the White House says is a security risk.

In a letter to employees, Mayer said his decision to leave the company comes after the political environment has sharply changed.

His resignation comes after US President Donald Trump ordered a ban on TikTok, unless parent company Bytedance sells its US operations to an American company within 90 days.

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I have done significant reflection on what the corporate structural changes will require, and what it means for the global role I signed up for, he said in the letter.

"Against this backdrop, and as we expect to reach a resolution very soon, it is with a heavy heart that I wanted to let you all know that I have decided to leave the company," he said.

Mayer, a former Disney executive, joined TikTok as its CEO in May.

We appreciate that the political dynamics of the last few months have significantly changed what the scope of Kevin's role would be going forward, and fully respect his decision. We thank him for his time at the company and wish him well, TikTok said in a statement.

TikTok, which is owned by China's ByteDance, insisted on Monday that it is not a national-security threat and that the government is acting without evidence or due process.

The company filed a suit on Monday in federal court in California against the Commerce Department, President Donald Trump, and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, saying that it sought to prevent the government from impermissibly banning TikTok.

President Donald Trump issued two executive orders in August - first was a sweeping but unspecified ban on any transaction with ByteDance to take effect within 45 days. He then ordered ByteDance to sell assets used to support TikTok in the US.

Over the past year, TikTok has tried to put distance between its app, which it says has 100 million US users, and its Chinese owners. It installed a former top Disney executive as its American CEO and named two other Americans chief security officer and general counsel.