Tik Tok CEO Chew Shou Zi to be President of Singapore

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Attended Hwa Chong - can help recruit many good MPs and ministers from his old boy network for the future good of Singapore
Attended University College London - international network
Bachelor’s degree in economics - can have long kopi sessions with PM Lawrence Wong and grill him on economics and the national reserves. Former rubber-stamper. Halimah can make teh tarik for both of them. Can also engage the Opposition and have long kopi sessions with fellow economist Jamus Lim; that will surely warm the cockles of Jamus' heart!
Banker for the Goldman Sachs Group - has financial expertise, will be able to act as a proper check on state finance matters and the national reserves.
Attended Harvard Business School MBA - can have long kopi sessions with Pinky and tell Pinky where he f**ked up in the management of SG as a corporate
Worked in venture capital - will know how to attract investors to Singapore

Young - many good years ahead
Good looking - much better than the other possible Presidential candidate Ho Ching. Need Dot say more?
Chio trophy wife - wife is Taiwanese-American.
Hundreds of millions of supporters - from Tik Tok supporters, especially the female influencers
Close ties with the US and China - adept at diplomatic relationships with the two superpowers.

CSZ could be The One to mend US-China-Taiwan ties!
CSZ could be The One to elevate SG to the global stage!
CSZ could be The One to bring politics to the Tik Tok generation!
Imagine the Budget Speech, National Day Parade, National Day Rally Speech, and Parliament sessions being beamed live on Tik Tok.

After the US sub-committee hearing,

Chew's performance before the US sub-committee is a confirmation that he is PAP material.
He doesn't give a straight Yes or No answer.
Instead, he went around in circles, beat about the bush, and did not answer the question.
He would be perfect as a PAP politician: avoid the issue, try and confuse the audience, and give vague answers.

Chew Shou Zi is a puppet of Tik Tok, Byte Dance, and the CCP.
That makes him ideal to be the President of Singapore who is also a puppet of the PAP and the famiLee.

Added on 24 Mar:
And becomes internet zaddy! - CSZ will be the PAP's next auntie killer.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Singaporean TikTok CEO to face tough questions amid calls for US ban​

TikTok CEO Chew Shou Zi will testify before the US House Energy and Commerce Committee on Thursday. PHOTO: AFP

Mar 23, 2023

WASHINGTON - TikTok’s chief executive Chew Shou Zi will face tough questions on Thursday from lawmakers who are convinced the Chinese-owned short-video app should be barred for being a potential national security threat to the United States.
Mr Chew’s testimony before Congress will also cap a week of actions by the Chinese company aimed at convincing Americans and their lawmakers that the app creates economic value and supports free speech.
TikTok has more than 150 million Americans users.

It has faced sharp accusations that its US user data would be shared with the Chinese government and that it fails to adequately protect children from harm.
TikTok has said it has spent more than US$1.5 billion (S$2 billion) on what it calls rigorous data security efforts under the name Project Texas.
It currently has nearly 1,500 full-time employees and is contracted with Oracle to store TikTok’s US user data.
It also says it rigorously screens content that could harm children.

The House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee hearing will be chaired by Ms Cathy McMorris Rodgers, a Republican who says she is unconvinced by TikTok’s security commitments.
“It’s clear that TikTok will say anything to... ensure that it is not banned in the United States,” she told Fox News.

Mr Chew, a Singaporean, told reporters ahead of the hearing that “there are many misconceptions about our company, and I’m very proud to come here and represent them and normal users here in this country”.

Some political experts say a TikTok ban could be damaging to Democrats who have used the platform to reach younger voters.
Three House Democrats rallied with TikTok creators on Capitol Hill on Wednesday in opposition to a ban.
“Why the hysteria and the panic and the targeting of TikTok?” asked Representative Jamaal Bowman, a Democrat from New York, at a news conference. “Let’s do the right thing here – comprehensive social media reform as it relates to privacy and security.”
Still, far more US lawmakers want TikTok banned.
TikTok last week said President Joe Biden’s administration demanded that its Chinese owners divest their stakes or face a potential ban.

China’s Ministry of Commerce at a briefing on Thursday said that “forcing the sale of TikTok will seriously damage the confidence of investors from all over the world, including China, to invest in the US. If the news is true, China will firmly oppose it.”
Mr Jameel Jaffer, executive director of Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University, said: “Restricting access to a speech platform that is used by millions of Americans every day would set a dangerous precedent for regulating our digital public sphere more broadly.”
Democratic Senator Mark Warner on Wednesday said two additional senators backed his bipartisan legislation with Republican John Thune to give the Biden administration new powers to ban TikTok – raising the total to 10 Democrats and 10 Republicans. REUTERS

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

From Facebook intern to TikTok CEO: Who is Singaporean Chew Shou Zi?​

Mr Chew Shou Zi joined ByteDance as chief financial officer in March 2021 before being appointed TikTok’s chief executive in May that year. PHOTOS: SCREENGRAB FROM SHOU.TIME/TIKTOK

Amanda Lee
Correspondent

Mar 23, 2023

He was once an intern at Facebook. Today, Singaporean Chew Shou Zi is the chief executive of popular social media app TikTok.
On Thursday, Mr Chew, 40, will testify before the United States’ House Energy and Commerce Committee.
He is set to face tough scrutiny over TikTok’s data practices and alleged links with the Chinese authorities. The US lawmakers are assessing whether TikTok is a national security threat.
Here is what we know about him.

Where did he study?​

Born and bred in Singapore, he is fluent in English and Chinese. His father reportedly worked in construction and his mother in bookkeeping.
Mr Chew is a Hwa Chong alumnus and was an officer in the Singapore Armed Forces during his national service.
After completing NS, he attended University College London and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in economics. He stayed on in London to work as a banker for the Goldman Sachs Group.

In 2010, he went to Harvard Business School to study for a master of business administration (MBA) and interned at Facebook when the social media platform was still a start-up. Facebook went public in mid-2012.

When did he join TikTok?​

In March 2021, he joined TikTok’s parent company, China-based ByteDance, as its first chief financial officer (CFO).
In May that year, he was appointed TikTok’s chief executive.


TikTok’s former chief executive, Mr Kevin Mayer, had left Walt Disney for the position in May 2020 but quit after three months as the company faced pressure from US lawmakers over security risks.



ByteDance founder and chief executive Zhang Yiming praised Mr Chew at that time, saying that he “brings deep knowledge to the company and industry, having led a team that was among our earliest investors and having worked in the technology sector for a decade”.
Mr Chew runs TikTok from offices in Singapore, but he travels frequently, especially to the US, said The Wall Street Journal.
The global company has offices in cities such as London, New York and Tokyo.
Under his leadership, TikTok became one of the biggest Chinese tech success stories in the world.

Where did he work previously?​

After two years working as an investment banker at Goldman Sachs in Britain and his internship at Facebook in the US, Mr Chew joined venture capital firm DST Global, founded by billionaire Silicon Valley investor Yuri Milner.
At DST Global, he led a team that became early investors in ByteDance in 2013.
His interest in the tech sector drew him to Xiaomi, and in 2015, he became CFO of the Chinese smartphone giant.

Mr Chew Shou Zi became TikTok CEO in 2021. Under his leadership, TikTok became one of the biggest Chinese technology success stories in the world. PHOTO: SCREENGRAB FROM SHOU.TIME/TIKTOK
During his time there, Xiaomi went public on the Hong Kong stock exchange in 2018, making it the third-most valuable publicly traded smartphone maker, behind Apple and Samsung.
Mr Chew became Xiaomi’s international business president in 2019.

Is he married?​

While studying at Harvard Business School (HBS), he met Taiwanese-American Vivian Kao. They later got married and now have two children. She is currently a chief executive for an investment firm.
According to the HBS’ alumni page, the couple met over e-mail in 2008 after they enrolled in the school.

TikTok CEO Chew Shou Zi met his Taiwanese-American wife Vivian Kao at Harvard Business School. They have two children. PHOTO: AFP
They have been described as “a couple who often finish each other’s sentences”.
They have been giving back to their alma mater consistently as volunteers and donors since they graduated, and by taking part in fund-raising efforts.
“We want to benefit as many people as possible with our support,” said Mr Chew.
“We want the leadership of HBS to decide where to allocate our contributions. We believe the school has the ability to amplify what we contribute.”
After graduating with MBAs, the couple lived in various cities, including London and Hong Kong. They continued to keep in touch with their classmates.

Does he have a TikTok account?​

In February 2022, Mr Chew set up his own TikTok account, @shou.time. To date, he has 22 posts and more than 18,000 followers.
His account on the platform features glimpses of his personal life, showing him attending the Super Bowl in February, eating Nashville hot chicken and meeting celebrities such as Hollywood actor Bill Murray.
Mr Chew said at The New York Times’ 2022 DealBook Summit that he does not allow his children – whose ages are unknown – to use the app as “they’re too young for that”.

 

[syed putra]

But he is not malay.

 

[A Singaporean]

But he is not malay.

Obviously, otherwise he would have ended up delivering food.

 

[blackmondy]

Chew 手指?

 

[laksaboy]

The writing is on the wall.

 

[red amoeba]

US is gonna ban TikTok and he will be thrown under the bus to take the blame.

 

[realDonaldTrump]

He don't look and sound local, although his surname is chew.

 

[batman1]

Who is Roast chicken chew ?

 

[dredd]

Sinkees at the helm of any organization will undoubtedly bring it down. Most are incapable of thinking out of the box. They are inherently kiasee, having had their balls taken away from young. I blame it on their educational upbringing, living under a gahment that does not encourage them to show courage and creativity. Sad but true....

 

[tanwahtiu]

Singaporean TikTok CEO to face tough questions amid calls for US ban​

TikTok CEO Chew Shou Zi will testify before the US House Energy and Commerce Committee on Thursday. PHOTO: AFP

Mar 23, 2023

WASHINGTON - TikTok’s chief executive Chew Shou Zi will face tough questions on Thursday from lawmakers who are convinced the Chinese-owned short-video app should be barred for being a potential national security threat to the United States.
Mr Chew’s testimony before Congress will also cap a week of actions by the Chinese company aimed at convincing Americans and their lawmakers that the app creates economic value and supports free speech.
TikTok has more than 150 million Americans users.

It has faced sharp accusations that its US user data would be shared with the Chinese government and that it fails to adequately protect children from harm.
TikTok has said it has spent more than US$1.5 billion (S$2 billion) on what it calls rigorous data security efforts under the name Project Texas.
It currently has nearly 1,500 full-time employees and is contracted with Oracle to store TikTok’s US user data.
It also says it rigorously screens content that could harm children.

The House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee hearing will be chaired by Ms Cathy McMorris Rodgers, a Republican who says she is unconvinced by TikTok’s security commitments.
“It’s clear that TikTok will say anything to... ensure that it is not banned in the United States,” she told Fox News.

Mr Chew, a Singaporean, told reporters ahead of the hearing that “there are many misconceptions about our company, and I’m very proud to come here and represent them and normal users here in this country”.

Some political experts say a TikTok ban could be damaging to Democrats who have used the platform to reach younger voters.
Three House Democrats rallied with TikTok creators on Capitol Hill on Wednesday in opposition to a ban.
“Why the hysteria and the panic and the targeting of TikTok?” asked Representative Jamaal Bowman, a Democrat from New York, at a news conference. “Let’s do the right thing here – comprehensive social media reform as it relates to privacy and security.”
Still, far more US lawmakers want TikTok banned.
TikTok last week said President Joe Biden’s administration demanded that its Chinese owners divest their stakes or face a potential ban.

China’s Ministry of Commerce at a briefing on Thursday said that “forcing the sale of TikTok will seriously damage the confidence of investors from all over the world, including China, to invest in the US. If the news is true, China will firmly oppose it.”
Mr Jameel Jaffer, executive director of Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University, said: “Restricting access to a speech platform that is used by millions of Americans every day would set a dangerous precedent for regulating our digital public sphere more broadly.”
Democratic Senator Mark Warner on Wednesday said two additional senators backed his bipartisan legislation with Republican John Thune to give the Biden administration new powers to ban TikTok – raising the total to 10 Democrats and 10 Republicans. REUTERS

What tough questions..... jiakleowbee amdk lawyer turn political becoming irrelevant and annoying.... wait for AI robot to take over courtroom sooner..

 

[tobelightlight]

He don't look and sound local, although his surname is chew.

What are you talking about? he really sounded local. i am sounded like that too.

 

[laksaboy]

TikTok should be at the very least banned for govt employees, for national security.

But since the Confucius Institute is still open in Sinkieland and Dickson Yeo was just the tip of a very big iceberg... it matters very little.

 

[blackmondy]

Looks like a fucking tiong spy to me from whichever angle.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

‘Earnest and temperate’: TikTok’s Singaporean CEO’s poise fails to sway sceptics in US Congress​

TikTok CEO Chew Shou Zi testifies before the House Energy and Commerce Committee on March 23, 2023. PHOTO: AFP

Charissa Yong
US Correspondent

Mar 24, 2023

WASHINGTON ⁠– With his hands folded on his lap and a black tumbler with a TikTok logo in front of him, TikTok chief executive Chew Shou Zi was a picture of calm facing a sea of photojournalists snapping his picture in the 10 minutes before the start of Thursday’s House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing.
But as impassive as he was under fire, Mr Chew – whom the Washington Post described as “soft-spoken, earnest and temperate” during a heated hearing that lasted five hours – could not convince the congressmen that the social media app did not pose a national security threat to the United States.
The minds of the more than 50 congressmen who grilled the Singaporean chief executive appeared mostly made up from the start. Many were vocally sceptical that TikTok was truly not beholden to Beijing, given its ownership by Chinese parent company ByteDance.
The app, used by more than 150 million Americans, has been accused of being anything from a Chinese espionage tool to a method of indoctrinating children amid soaring US-China tensions, though lawmakers have not presented evidence of such occurrences.
“We do not trust TikTok will ever embrace American values,” said committee chairman Cathy Rodgers in her opening statement, which she read out before posing questions to Mr Chew. “TikTok has repeatedly chosen the path for more control, more surveillance and more manipulation. Your platform should be banned.”

Mr Frank Pallone Jr, the committee’s top Democrat, was dismissive of Mr Chew’s characterisation of TikTok as performing a public service.
“I’m not convinced that the benefits outweigh the risks that it poses to Americans in its present form,” he said.

Several Republican congressmen came armed with montages of problematic TikTok clips, as well as poster displays which aides held up behind them for the cameras.
Republican Gus Bilirakis of Florida, who grilled Mr Chew on his content moderation policies, aired several TikTok videos that encouraged suicide, adding that such videos drove Long Island teen Chase Nasca to take his own life in 2022.
His parents Dean and Michelle Nasca, who were in the audience, sobbed as Mr Bilirakis told Mr Chew that his company had destroyed their lives.


“His ‘For You’ page was sadly a window to discover suicide,” said the lawmaker, referring to TikTok’s feed of algorithmically recommended videos. “It’s unacceptable, sir!”
His party colleague Kat Cammack, also of Florida, showed a video of a gun with a caption threatening the committee with violence, and asked Mr Chew why it had been allowed to remain up for 41 days.
He was not given a chance to respond, though the clip was taken down shortly afterwards.

With five minutes each, the lawmakers hurried through their prepared lines of questioning, pressing Mr Chew for “yes” or “no” replies and dismissing his caveats on technical questions. He was also repeatedly talked over or dismissed mid-sentence.
“You have not given straightforward answers. We do not find you credible on these things,” said Republican Neal Dunn of Florida, who said TikTok would censor content on behalf of the Communist Party of China.
Mr Chew replied: “Congressman, you have given me no time to answer your questions. I reject the characterisations.”

He was evasive particularly on ByteDance’s current access to TikTok’s US user data and repeatedly dodged questions on the Chinese government’s treatment of Uighur Muslims, which elicited audible sighs from several lawmakers.
Republican Kelly Armstrong of North Dakota, referring to the Communist Party of China, said: “You have absolutely tied yourself in knots to avoid criticising the CCP’s treatment of the Uighur population and I think it begs the question… if the CCP demanded that ByteDance hand over all the data that they had on US users and ByteDance refused, I wonder what would happen?”
Mr Chew at times stressed his Singaporean roots as he tried to distance himself and TikTok from China, recounting in his opening remarks how he had met his wife while studying in America.
He also told Congress that his two children, who live in Singapore, were not on TikTok because the platform is not available there for children under 13 years old.
The New York Times wrote that the hearing had been “harsher in tone than previous congressional hearings featuring American executives of social media companies”, a point that Mr Chew also alluded to throughout his testimony.
When Democrat Darren Soto of Florida said that TikTok should be “an American company with American values”, Mr Chew hit back – a rare instance in the hearing – as he argued that American ownership did not guarantee data standards.
“With a lot of respect, American social (media) companies do not have a good track record with data privacy and user security. Look at Facebook and Cambridge Analytica,” he said, in a jibe at its data misuse scandal.
It is not clear how lawmakers will proceed after the hearing, or how quickly they might pass legislation to strengthen the Biden administration’s legal powers to ban TikTok.
Mr Brandon Clark, a member of the public who attended the hearing, told The Straits Times that he found the insistence on “yes” or “no” answers “harsh, typical American s***”.
“You just want to get a simplified answer when the response requires a bit more clarity and detail,” said Mr Clark, whose gummy company BDE Gummy advertises on TikTok.

He said that Mr Chew appeared “frustrated, like he was constantly hitting a brick wall” with the congressmen.
“It’s like he’s being led into these questions where there is no win,” said Mr Clark. “He’s scared, but rightfully so. You can have all the money in the world, but this is influence and power. This is regulation, a very different domain.”
Musician Greg Spero, one of the dozen or so TikTok content creators in the audience, told ST that Mr Chew and the congressmen appeared to be talking past each other.
“In this hearing, it seems that nobody wants to know the benefits of TikTok and what’s actually being done, but they want to create a public spectacle,” he said.
On the flip side, Mr Spero said, Democrat Jamaal Bowman, a congressman who spoke against a TikTok ban at a Wednesday press conference, focused on the app’s upsides without addressing the concerns around it.
“I wish I could witness something where people are sitting down and having a discussion that clearly outlines the positives and negatives of what we’re dealing with,” Mr Spero said.

 

[tobelightlight]

See.. Told u liao. Sure banned tiktok one

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

TikTok’s S’porean CEO grilled in Congress: What’s next for TikTok in US?​

TikTok CEO Chew Shou Zi prepares to testify before the House Energy and Commerce Committee on March 23, 2023. PHOTO: AFP

Amanda Lee
Correspondent

Dec 24, 2023

TikTok chief executive Chew Shou Zi was grilled by lawmakers for more than five hours on Thursday, as he tried to prevent the company from a force sale or a ban in the United States.
During the hearing at the US Congress, Mr Chew was questioned on the video app’s potential to harm children through its potentially dangerous posts, addictive features and whether data from American users could end up in the hands of the Chinese government through its China-based owner, ByteDance.
We take a look at what lies ahead for TikTok in the US.

Why did Mr Chew need to explain TikTok to Congress?​

TikTok has 150 million users in the US. In 2021 and 2022, TikTok was the top downloaded app, according to data from analytics firm Sensor Tower.
The app’s popularity among Americans carries geopolitical implications, as China is known to be interested in having its technology companies share the data they have collected, reported Bloomberg.
US government officials and lawmakers have complained that ByteDance is able to pass users’ data to the government in Beijing. They have been calling for TikTok to be removed from app stores unless it is sold to a US company.
During the hearing, Mr Chew repeatedly denied that the app shares data or has connection with the Communist Party of China. He argued that the platform was doing everything to ensure safety for its American users.

For more than two years, TikTok has been “building what amounts to a firewall to seal off protected US user data from unauthorised foreign access”, said Mr Chew.
“The bottom line is this: American data stored on American soil, by an American company, overseen by American personnel.”
Concerns were raised in December 2022, when ByteDance said it fired four employees who accessed data on two journalists from The Financial Times and Buzzfeed News, while attempting to track down the source of a leaked report about the company.

Can US Congress ban TikTok?​

In August 2020, former US president Donald Trump unveiled sweeping bans on US transactions with ByteDance. PHOTO: REUTERS
In August 2020, former US president Donald Trump unveiled sweeping bans on US transactions with ByteDance. But this was stalled in the courts until Mr Trump’s term as president ended.
President Joe Biden chose a different course and initiated a national security review of the app.
The Biden administration has also pressed ByteDance recently to divest its stake on TikTok or face a ban in the US.
In December 2022, the US government approved an unprecedented ban on the use of TikTok on federal government devices.
Then in January, Republican Senator Josh Hawley introduced a Bill to ban TikTok for all Americans.
In early March, the House Foreign Affairs Committee voted to approve a Bill that could grant a president the authority to ban the platform.

The Biden administration has also pressed ByteDance recently to divest its stake on TikTok or face a ban in the US. PHOTO: EPA-EFE
Twenty senators - 10 Democrats and 10 Republicans - have backed bipartisan legislation giving Mr Biden’s administration a path to ban TikTok.
Ms Caitlin Chin, a fellow at American think tank Centre for Strategic and International Studies, told The New York Times that a broader, government-imposed ban that stops Americans from using an app could face legal challenges on First Amendment grounds.
“In democratic governments, the government can’t just ban free speech or expression without very strong and tailored grounds to do so, and it’s just not clear that we have that yet,” she said.
MORE ON THIS TOPIC
‘Earnest and temperate’: TikTok’s Singaporean CEO’s poise fails to sway sceptics in US Congress
5 key moments from TikTok CEO S'porean Chew Shou Zi’s combative hearing in US Congress

How will this impact TikTok’s future?​

It is still not known if TikTok will be banned in the US, but advertisers are already seeking assurances over its data from the app, reported Reuters.
Reuters said that at least one major ad firm held a call this week with TikTok sales representatives in an attempt to learn more about its data security practices.
The report added that TikTok has reportedly played up ongoing plans to separate the user data of Americans and store it in the country, a point that was also reiterated by Mr Chew at the hearing. The data will be housed in a new division, US Data Security, which will be monitored by American tech company Oracle, an effort dubbed “Project Texas”.
Although TikTok provided an overview of Project Texas, the company was unable to answer more detailed questions about how it would block US user data from the Chinese government, said an executive, who declined to be named, at the ad firm.

Who are some popular US celebrities and big companies on TikTok?​

Pop star Selena Gomez is on TikTok. PHOTO: REUTERS
Pop star Selena Gomez, jeans maker Levis and streaming giant Netflix are some of the big names that are on TikTok. Others include news outlet The Washington Post, fast food chain Taco Bell and the National Basketball Association.

What has been the reaction on the ground in the US?​

TikTok creators hold a news conference to speak out against a possible ban of TikTok at the House Triangle at the United States Capitol in Washington, US, on March 22, 2023. PHOTO: REUTERS
On Wednesday, a group of about 30 content creators gathered outside the US Capitol, some holding signs: “Keep TikTok”.
About a dozen teenagers, business owners and teachers also rallied at Congress, as they discussed their opposition to a potential ban. They drew attention to the benefits of TikTok for their livelihoods and lives.
US media reported that some in the crowd said they had been flown to Washington by the company.
“I kind of built my business on TikTok, so this poses somewhat of a problem for me and my business,” aspiring soap making entrepreneur @countrylather2020 told her 70,000 followers in a video recorded after she arrived in the capital.

Which countries have bans on TikTok and why?​

India banned TikTok in mid-2020, citing national security concerns. The move came days after a border dispute between India and China that left 20 Indian soldiers dead.
In recent times, governments around the world have also imposed a ban on the usage of TikTok on government devices.
For example, in December 2022, Taiwan imposed a public sector ban on TikTok. This comes after the FBI warned that the app posed a national security risk.
In March, Britain, Belgium and New Zealand have also announced a ban on TikTok on government devices over security concerns.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Chew's performance before the US sub-committee is confirmation that he is PAP material.
He doesn't give a straight Yes or No answer.
Instead, he went around in circles, beat about the bush, and did not answer the question.
He would be perfect as a PAP politician: avoid the issue, try and confuse the audience, and giving vague answers.

 

[laksaboy]

'Earnest and temperate'... the Shitty Times propagandists never cease to amaze.

Now for some real journalism...