Discover the journey of Shou Zi Chew, TikTok's CEO, from his beginnings as an intern at Facebook to becoming one of Meta's toughest competitors.

Shou Zi Chew's career trajectory is a testament to the power of ambition and adaptability in the tech industry. From an intern at Facebook to the CEO of TikTok, Chew’s journey has placed him at the helm of one of Meta’s fiercest competitors. Once a part of Mark Zuckerberg's team, Chew now leads the short-form video platform that boasts over 1 billion global users, sparking debates over privacy, competition, and the future of social media.

A Journey from Intern to Industry Leader
Shou Zi Chew’s rise in the tech world is nothing short of impressive. After earning an economics degree from University College London, he pursued an MBA at Harvard Business School, where he took a significant step in his career – an internship at Facebook. Reflecting on that experience, Chew noted, “It was called Facebook,” a simple yet powerful reminder of how far the platform, and its early contributors, have come since then.

Following his internship, Chew’s career took him across the globe. From California to London, Singapore, Hong Kong, and eventually Beijing, Chew’s diverse experiences in different markets would prove invaluable. His time at Facebook paved the way for a prominent role at Xiaomi, where he joined in 2015. There, he served as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and played a key role in the company’s public listing in 2018.

Chew's Shift from Xiaomi to TikTok
In 2021, Chew’s career took another major turn as he joined ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok. Initially appointed as the CFO, Chew quickly ascended to the position of TikTok’s CEO later that year, overseeing the platform’s expansion into global markets and further solidifying its place as a dominant force in social media.

TikTok’s meteoric rise under Chew’s leadership has been remarkable, with the app attracting over 150 million monthly active users in the United States alone. This success has positioned TikTok as a serious contender to Meta’s Facebook and Instagram, creating a rivalry that has captured the attention of both the tech world and lawmakers.

Chew vs Zuckerberg: The Battle for Social Media Dominance
The rivalry between Chew and Zuckerberg has deep roots, with the two crossing paths in a significant way during the acquisition of Musical.ly, a lip-syncing app that would later merge with TikTok. Zuckerberg, who attempted to purchase Musical.ly in 2016, lost out to ByteDance, which acquired the app for $800 million in 2017 and integrated it into TikTok. This merger propelled TikTok into the spotlight, making it a direct competitor to Meta’s social platforms.

Chew’s rise to TikTok CEO also brought him into direct opposition with Zuckerberg, especially on issues of data privacy and national security. During his testimony before the House Energy and Commerce Committee in 2023, Chew took the opportunity to defend TikTok against accusations of being a national security threat. Drawing a pointed comparison with Facebook’s own data privacy issues, including the Cambridge Analytica scandal, Chew remarked, “American social media companies don’t have a good track record with data privacy and user security.”

 The Future of Social Media
As TikTok continues to dominate the social media landscape under Shou Zi Chew’s leadership, the platform’s impact on global culture and competition remains undeniable. With a user base that stretches across continents and continues to grow, TikTok is well-positioned to challenge the established players in the industry, including Meta. Chew’s journey from Facebook intern to TikTok CEO exemplifies the changing dynamics of the tech world and the future of social media.