ByteDance to Cut India Workforce due to TikTok Ban

Chinese tech giant ByteDance will trim its 2000-plus Indian team due to a recent ban New Delhi imposed on TikTok, the company announced on Wednesday. The firm has yet to specify just how many employees may lose their jobs.

Unsure as to when they will be able to come back to the country, the management sent out an internal memo. “We initially hoped that this situation would be short-lived…we find that has not been the case,” wrote ByteDance. “We simply cannot responsibly stay fully staffed while our apps remain un-operational…we don’t know when we will make a comeback in India”

Following a permanent ban on 59 Chinese apps due to privacy and safety issues earlier this week, ByteDance vowed to return to the Indian market soon. In its statement, the firm said it was disappointing that it had not received clear indications on how its apps could be reinstated despite all of the efforts made.

SEE ALSO: India Permanently Bans 59 Chinese APPs Including Tech Giants TikTok and Wechat

Since political tension between China and India over a disputed Himalayan border site flared last year, New Delhi has been pressuring many Chinese firms out of the market. In 2019, ByteDance had invested $1 billion in the country, one of TikTok’s biggest markets.

When last year’s ban struck, however, the Indian government described Chinese apps as “prejudicial to the sovereignty and integrity of India.”

Besides India, TikTok is also facing a backlash from the previous Trump administration, which voiced concerns over national security, and has been under scrutiny in Australia due to data privacy issues.