Shou Zi Chew

Shou Zi Chew
Chew in 2023
Shou Zi Chew
Born	1 1, 1983
Birthplace	Singapore
Nationality	Singaporean
Occupation	Business executive
Title	Chief Executive Officer of TikTok
Known for	CEO of TikTok
Education	University College London (BSc) Harvard University (MBA)
Spouse(s)	Vivian Kao

Shou Zi Chew (Template:Zh; born 1 January 1983) is a Singaporean business executive who has served as the chief executive officer (CEO) of TikTok, the short-form video platform owned by Chinese technology company ByteDance, since 2021. Before assuming leadership of one of the world's most widely used social media platforms, Chew built a career in finance and technology that included roles at major global firms, most notably serving as the chief financial officer (CFO) of Chinese smartphone manufacturer Xiaomi, where he helped steer the company through its initial public offering on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. At the helm of TikTok, Chew has navigated an extraordinarily complex geopolitical landscape, facing scrutiny from governments across the United States, Europe, and Canada over data security, privacy, and the platform's ties to China. His tenure has been defined by high-profile congressional testimony, regulatory negotiations, and efforts to preserve TikTok's operations in Western markets. As of 2025, TikTok has approximately 1.7 billion users worldwide, making Chew one of the most consequential figures in the global technology industry.

Early Life

Shou Zi Chew was born on 1 January 1983 in Singapore. He grew up in the city-state, which has long served as a major hub for international business and finance in Southeast Asia. Details about Chew's family background and upbringing remain limited in public reporting, though his trajectory from Singapore's education system to elite Western universities and senior corporate roles reflects the city-state's emphasis on academic achievement and global orientation.

Before attending university, Chew completed national service in the Singapore Armed Forces, as required of all male Singaporean citizens. He has spoken publicly about his military service as a formative experience. After completing his national service obligations, Chew pursued higher education abroad, first in the United Kingdom and subsequently in the United States.

Education

Chew earned a Bachelor of Science degree from University College London (UCL) in the United Kingdom. He subsequently attended Harvard Business School, where he obtained a Master of Business Administration (MBA). His education at two internationally recognized institutions positioned him for a career in global finance and technology. During his time at Harvard Business School, Chew gained early exposure to the technology industry through an internship at Facebook (now Meta Platforms), working under Mark Zuckerberg's company at an early stage of the social media giant's development — an experience that would prove ironic given his later role leading one of Meta's most significant competitors.

Career

Early Career and Goldman Sachs

After completing his MBA at Harvard, Chew began his professional career in the financial industry. He worked at Goldman Sachs, one of the world's leading investment banks, where he gained experience in finance and investment banking. His tenure at Goldman Sachs provided him with a foundation in corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions, and capital markets that would prove instrumental in his later roles in the technology sector.

Chew also held a position at DST Global, an investment firm known for its early investments in major technology companies. At DST Global, he was exposed to the venture capital and growth equity side of the technology industry, working on investments in some of the world's most prominent technology companies. This experience deepened his understanding of the global technology landscape and the dynamics of high-growth companies, particularly in the Chinese and Asian technology ecosystems.

Xiaomi

In July 2015, Chew was appointed as the chief financial officer (CFO) of Xiaomi, the Chinese electronics and smartphone manufacturer. At the time of his appointment, Xiaomi was one of China's most prominent technology startups, known for its affordable smartphones and rapidly expanding product ecosystem. Chew's hiring was notable in the technology industry, as he was recruited from the investment world to help Xiaomi manage its finances during a critical period of growth and international expansion.

As CFO, Chew played a central role in Xiaomi's financial strategy, including the company's initial public offering (IPO) on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in 2018. The Xiaomi IPO was one of the largest technology listings in the world that year, and Chew was credited with helping to guide the company through the complex process of going public. His work at Xiaomi established his reputation as a senior technology executive with deep expertise in both finance and operations, and it brought him into close contact with the broader Chinese and global technology industries.

Chew served as Xiaomi's CFO and later as president of international operations, overseeing the company's expansion into markets outside China. His experience managing Xiaomi's global business gave him insight into the regulatory, cultural, and commercial challenges of operating a Chinese-origin technology company in Western and other international markets — experience that would prove directly relevant to his subsequent role at TikTok.

ByteDance and TikTok

In March 2021, ByteDance announced that Chew would join the company as its chief financial officer. Shortly thereafter, in May 2021, he was named CEO of TikTok, the company's internationally focused short-form video platform. The appointment made Chew the public face of one of the world's fastest-growing social media platforms at a time of intensifying geopolitical scrutiny over TikTok's ownership by a Chinese parent company.

Under Chew's leadership, TikTok continued to expand its global user base, reaching approximately 1.7 billion users worldwide by 2025. The platform became a dominant force in social media, competing directly with products from Meta Platforms — including Instagram Reels — and YouTube Shorts, among others. Chew's background as a former Facebook intern added a notable personal dimension to TikTok's competitive rivalry with Meta.

U.S. Congressional Testimony and Regulatory Challenges

Chew's tenure as TikTok CEO has been dominated by regulatory and political challenges, particularly in the United States. U.S. lawmakers and government officials raised concerns about the potential for the Chinese government to access American user data through ByteDance, TikTok's parent company, and about the platform's influence on public discourse, particularly among young users.

In March 2023, Chew testified before the United States Congress, appearing before the House Energy and Commerce Committee. The hearing drew significant public and media attention and was one of the most watched congressional technology hearings in years. Chew faced aggressive questioning from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle regarding data security, content moderation, and TikTok's relationship with ByteDance and the Chinese government. The testimony marked a defining moment in Chew's public career and placed him at the center of one of the most significant debates in global technology policy.

Following the congressional hearing, the U.S. government moved toward legislation that would require ByteDance to divest its ownership of TikTok's U.S. operations or face a nationwide ban. The "divest-or-ban" law placed Chew in the position of managing both the platform's ongoing business operations and complex negotiations over the company's future structure in the United States.

U.S. Divestiture Negotiations

In December 2025, Chew announced to TikTok employees in an internal memo that the company had signed an agreement to create a new U.S. joint venture, in which ByteDance would sell over 80 percent of TikTok's U.S. business. The deal was structured to comply with the U.S. divest-or-ban law and was designed to preserve TikTok's operations in the American market while addressing national security concerns raised by lawmakers and regulators.

The divestiture represented one of the most significant corporate restructurings in the technology industry, and Chew's role in navigating the complex legal, regulatory, and commercial negotiations was central. The process required engagement with U.S. government officials, potential investors, and ByteDance leadership in Beijing, placing Chew at the intersection of American and Chinese technology and foreign policy interests.

European Engagement

In addition to U.S. regulatory challenges, Chew led TikTok's engagement with European regulators. In January 2023, he met with Margrethe Vestager, the European Commission's executive vice-president for competition policy, as part of what media outlets described as a "charm offensive" aimed at addressing European concerns about TikTok's data practices and compliance with EU regulations.

The European meetings came amid growing scrutiny of TikTok across the continent. Several European governments had begun restricting the use of TikTok on government devices, and the European Commission itself had moved to ban the app from official devices. In France, TikTok was fined €5 million (approximately $5.4 million) over cookie-related data privacy violations. Analysts and commentators noted that TikTok's security concerns in Europe mirrored those in the United States, centered on the potential for Chinese government access to user data and the platform's influence on public opinion.

Chew's meeting with Vestager and other EU officials was part of a broader strategy to establish TikTok's credibility with European regulators and demonstrate the company's commitment to data protection and transparency.

Canada

In 2025, TikTok also faced regulatory action in Canada. In July 2025, Chew wrote a letter to Canadian Minister of Industry Mélanie Joly requesting an "urgent" meeting regarding a government order that threatened to shut down TikTok's operations in the country. In the letter, Chew warned that without government intervention, "TikTok will be forced to fire all of its" Canadian employees, underscoring the potential economic consequences of the shutdown order. The Canadian situation reflected the broader pattern of Western governments moving to restrict or regulate TikTok over national security concerns related to its Chinese ownership.

Organizational Restructuring

In October 2025, Chew announced a major organizational restructuring of TikTok. The restructuring included the promotion of Zhi Ying, a 32-year-old executive, and the merger of several of the platform's operational divisions. The changes were seen as an effort to streamline TikTok's management structure and position the company for its next phase of growth amid ongoing regulatory uncertainty.

Personal Life

Chew is married to Vivian Kao. The couple has children, though specific details about their family life remain largely private. Chew maintains a personal presence on TikTok under the handle @shou.time, where he has occasionally posted content that offers glimpses into his life and perspectives.

Despite leading one of the world's most prominent technology platforms, Chew has maintained a relatively low public profile outside of his official duties and regulatory appearances. He is based in Singapore, where TikTok maintains significant operations, and travels frequently for business between Asia, the United States, and Europe.

Recognition

Chew's role as CEO of TikTok during a period of exceptional geopolitical scrutiny has made him one of the most prominent technology executives in the world. His March 2023 congressional testimony was widely covered by international media and brought him to the attention of a global audience far beyond the technology industry.

His career trajectory — from Singaporean national service to Goldman Sachs, DST Global, Xiaomi's CFO, and the leadership of TikTok — has been profiled extensively in business and technology media. Fortune, Business Insider, Bloomberg, and other major outlets have published detailed profiles examining his background and his role in navigating TikTok's regulatory challenges.

Chew's unusual path from a Facebook internship during business school to leading TikTok — one of Facebook's most direct and formidable competitors — has been noted by numerous commentators as one of the more remarkable career arcs in the technology industry.

Legacy

As of 2025, Chew's legacy remains actively in formation. His leadership of TikTok during a period when the platform has faced existential threats in multiple major markets — including potential bans in the United States and Canada and significant regulatory action in Europe — has placed him at the center of some of the most consequential debates in global technology governance, data privacy, and the intersection of technology and geopolitics.

The U.S. divestiture agreement announced under Chew's leadership in December 2025, in which ByteDance agreed to sell over 80 percent of TikTok's U.S. operations, represents one of the largest and most politically significant technology transactions in history. The outcome of this process and TikTok's ability to maintain its global operations under Chew's stewardship will likely determine his long-term standing among technology industry leaders.

Chew's role has also highlighted the unique challenges facing executives of Chinese-owned technology companies operating in Western markets during a period of heightened U.S.–China tensions. As a Singaporean national leading a Chinese-owned platform with a predominantly Western user base, Chew has occupied an unusual position that has required him to balance the interests and concerns of multiple governments, regulators, and stakeholders simultaneously.