TikTok CEO plans to attend Trump inauguration, NYT stories

(Reuters) – The chief government of TikTok plans to attend U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration, the New York Occasions (NYSE:NYT) reported on Wednesday, citing two individuals aware of the plans.

Shou Zi Chew has been invited to sit down able of honor on the dais, which is usually reserved for former presidents, relations and different vital company, the report mentioned.

TikTok and its Chinese language mother or father ByteDance didn’t instantly reply to Reuters’ requests for feedback.

With greater than 170 million American customers and, in accordance with Bernstein analysts, about $20 billion of estimated income in 2025, TikTok is overwhelmingly well-liked with younger individuals and advertisers.

The short-video platform plans to close U.S. operations of its social media app on Sunday, when a federal ban is about to take impact, barring a last-minute reprieve, individuals aware of the matter have mentioned.

The Washington Put up reported that Trump is contemplating issuing an government order to droop enforcement of a shutdown for 60 to 90 days. The report didn’t say how Trump might legally achieve this.

Final week, the U.S. Supreme Court docket appeared inclined to uphold the regulation that may pressure a sale or ban TikTok, regardless of calls from Trump and lawmakers to increase the deadline. Trump has mentioned he ought to have time to pursue a “political decision” of the problem after taking workplace.

President Joe Biden signed a regulation final April requiring ByteDance to promote its U.S. property by Jan. 19, or face a nationwide ban.

The Supreme Court docket is at present deciding whether or not to uphold the regulation and implement the ban on TikTok on Sunday, or overturn or pause the regulation to provide the court docket extra time to resolve.