Big Tech

TikTok’s New CEO Brings Hollywood Connections, ByteDance Loyalty

Adam Presser speaks during TikTok Redefining Fandom in Hollywood in 2024. — Adam Presser speaks during TikTok Redefining Fandom in Hollywood in 2024.
Photographer: Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images

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By Alexandra S. Levine

January 23, 2026 at 9:29 PM UTC

TikTok picked an insider to lead its newly created US business, choosing an executive with deep ties to the entertainment world and history reporting up to ByteDance Ltd.’s leadership.

Adam Presser, a longtime right hand to TikTok’s global leader Shou Chew, was tapped to lead the new entity, officially dubbed TikTok US Data Security Joint Venture LLC., which spun out from parent ByteDance to avoid a US ban over national security concerns.