It comes as Trump is threatening to ban TikTok on the basis of national security concerns since early August.
TikTok CEO Kevin Mayer is stepping down three months after taking the job at the popular short-form video app.
In a letter to staff, Mayer said he had decided to leave after Trump ordered TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, to sell its US assets to a US company within 90 days.
“In recent weeks, as the political environment has sharply changed, I have done significant reflection on what the corporate structural changes will require, and what it means for the global role I signed up for,” the letter said.
“Against this backdrop, and as we expect to reach a resolution very soon, it is with a heavy heart that I wanted to let you all know that I have decided to leave the company.”
Before joining TikTok in May, Mayer was The Walt Disney Company’s Chairman of the direct-to-consumer and international division. He previously served as senior executive vice president and chief strategy officer of Disney.
In a statement, TikTok thanked Mayer for his time and wished him well. “We appreciate that the political dynamics of the last few months have significantly changed what the scope of Kevin’s role would be going forward, and fully respect his decision,” the statement said.
Mayer’s exit comes just weeks after President Trump signed an executive order to ban TikTok unless its parent company ByteDance sold its US assets to an American company within 90 days. Currently, Microsoft, Twitter and Oracle are in talks to buy TikTok’s US business.
