On Thursday, TikTok’s CEO, Shu Ziqiu, will open the lion’s mouth and stick his head in.
He’s testifying before the US Congress for the first time, which is scary.
And the future of the wildly popular video-sharing app in the US is at stake.
Chris Stokel-Walker, author of TikTok Boom, said, “I think there’s a real risk that if this hearing doesn’t go well… it could have a huge impact on the future of TikTok.”
Mr. Chiu is likely to face questions about TikTok’s relationship with China, what data it collects, and what it does with it.
It will also be asked why ByteDance employees spied on several journalists – something TikTok has already admitted to.
Mr. Chew will say that user data is safe – out of the reach of the Chinese government.
He knows that politicians on all sides want to see the platform either sold off — or banned outright in the US.
“He’s going into the lion’s den,” said Mr Stokel-Walker.
Mr. Chew will need to give the performance of a lifetime. And already, close observers have noticed a shift in strategy from Singapore.
The TikTok boss, who has held several senior positions in the world of finance, usually sports a suit jacket and tie.
But on Tuesday, she posted a TikTok with a very different look.
Instead of a suit, he wore a white t-shirt and hoodie — the uniform of the restless tech founder.
The 40-year-old was suddenly speaking like a teenager – talking about being “super excited”.
“I think he’s trying to give up a kind of comfort technology,” said Caitlin Chen of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a bipartisan think tank.
“He’s actually starting to get a bit more of a public profile, especially leading up to this hearing.”
The Singaporean has generally kept a low profile since taking over TikTok in 2021.
However, this view seems to have changed. TikTok is fighting for its life, and Mr. Chiu knows it.
The biggest problem with TikTok in the US and Europe is that it is owned by a Chinese company, ByteDance.
And in China, there are specific laws that require companies to provide information to the Chinese Communist Party upon request.
TikTok stores data about its users, including location information and biometric data.
For years TikTok has argued that it will never hand over user information.
It has spent tens of millions of dollars on lobbying efforts and strategies to appease governments.
The centerpiece of his effort to persuade US lawmakers is “Project Texas.”
It is the company’s commitment to store US data in the US – on servers operated by Oracle – an American company.
The company says it has spent $1.5 billion on the project so far — and describes it as a “firewall” that protects data from foreign governments.
TikTok hoped it would appease politicians from all sides.
Last year Mr Chew wrote to politicians that he believed the plan would “protect user data and US national security interests”.
But sadly for TikTok, Project Texas has been viewed with skepticism by both Republicans and Democrats.
For many American politicians, as long as TikTok has a Chinese owner, it will be viewed as suspicious.
Last month, FBI Director Christopher Wray did not mince his words about the platform.
“This is a tool that is ultimately under the control of the Chinese government. And to me, that screams of national security concerns,” he said.
For most US lawmakers, TikTok would be a far more palatable platform if it weren’t owned by a Chinese company.
