New York [US], January 18: In direct reaction to the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to uphold the ban against TikTok, the company's CEO Shou Zi Chew said on Friday that "we will do everything in our power to ensure our platform thrives" for the years to come.
In a video lasting about one and a half minutes, which titled "Our response to the Supreme Court decision," Chew discussed the Supreme Court's decision and how it will affect more than 170 million American users.
Chew noted that the company and its users "have been fighting to protect the constitutional right to free speech for the more than 170 million Americans" who use the popular platform every day.
He then noted U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's commitment to working with TikTok to find a solution that keeps the app available in the United States.
"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 said.
He also thanked American users for making the TikTok community a rich and vibrant space, adding the company will do everything possible to ensure that the platform thrives as a home for creativity and discovery.
Earlier on Friday, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a law that would force TikTok to be sold to an American company or the popular app would face a ban starting on Sunday, one day before Trump's inauguration.
Millions of people flocked to TikTok's homage after Chew's video was posted online, and dozens of thousands made comments, with most of them showing their support for the company.
In April 2024, U.S. President Joe Biden enacted the law that gives ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, only 270 days to sell TikTok, citing unfounded national security concerns. If the company fails to comply, the law will require app store operators such as Apple and Google to remove TikTok from their platforms starting on Jan. 19, 2025.
Source: Xinhua
