TikTok’s US Hiring Slowed as Departures Increased in the Second Half of 2024

Top-ranking TikTok employees aren’t the only staff members heading toward the exit as the popular app’s potential U.S. ban draws near.

During the second half of 2024, U.S. employee departures increased by 38% compared to the same time in 2023, according to figures from Live Data Technologies, an employment and job-change research provider.

Jason Saltzman, director of growth at Live Data Technologies, noted that most TikTok staff who left in 2024 have since joined big tech companies, such as Meta, Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Apple, Snap, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Netflix, and Reddit.

At the same time, hiring slowed to its lowest level since the second half of 2020.

However, the decline in new hires doesn’t appear to be due to a lack of opportunity. A search for jobs on TikTok’s career website results in more than 2,000 open positions across a dozen American cities. The various roles include spots on teams such as product, design, operations, advertising, and sales.

TikTok did not respond to a request for comment.

The app’s increase in staff departures, coupled with a decrease in new hires, comes after years of steady expansion. TikTok’s U.S. headcount climbed from around 6,200 employees at the start of 2019 to nearly 17,000 at the end of 2024.

“During the 2020-2024 period, TikTok grew its U.S. workforce more than any other major social platform,” said Saltzman.

Now, however, TikTok is entering a less optimistic period. Earlier this month, ADWEEK reported Jack Bamberger, TikTok’s U.S. general manager of agency business, left the company on Jan. 3. Sameer Singh, TikTok’s head of ad sales for North America, is slated to depart at the end of February.

Unless Chinese parent company ByteDance severs ties with the app or the U.S. Supreme Court decides to intervene, TikTok is set to shut down in America on Jan. 19.