Grace Ashiru
In June 2024, several employees from TikTok’s African team were laid off following the social media giant’s announcement of planned global staff reductions. Prior to the official notice of these scheduled layoffs in May, the ByteDance-owned company had already eliminated a few positions within its African team in March, according to an individual familiar with the situation.
The layoffs in June had a more significant impact, particularly on employees in content operations, marketing, and trust and safety teams, the same source revealed. The person also suggested that further layoffs might occur in the third quarter of 2024.
While the exact number of job cuts remains unclear, it was reported by two individuals who had been part of these teams that more than half of the African team, which operates out of South Africa and Nigeria, were affected. One of these individuals noted that the African team comprised at least 100 people.
TikTok chose not to provide any comments on this matter.
Multiple sources have linked the layoffs to the company’s ongoing regulatory challenges in the United States—following President Joe Biden’s law mandating that China-based either sell TikTok within nine months or face a nationwide ban in the US. However, one individual familiar with the company’s operations dismissed that interpretation.
“The changes are not a reaction to anything,” stated an executive who requested anonymity due to their lack of authorization to speak on the matter. “It is part of an ongoing business assessment process, resulting in necessary adjustments.”
According to The Information, this is TikTok’s most substantial layoff to date. The same source indicated that the company usually opts for smaller-scale reorganizations across teams. TikTok is not the only company implementing broad changes; Meta and Microsoft have also downsized their African teams, although they maintain that they remain committed to investing in Africa.
