Can TikTok’s new CEO solve all its problems?

Short-video platform TikTok announced last week that it had pulled off a major coup by hiring Kevin Mayer, Disney’s head of streaming, as its chief executive.

The ex-Disney executive, who assumes his new post in June, will also serve as the chief operating officer of Beijing-based ByteDance, TikTok’s parent firm. Known as a dealmaking whiz in the US entertainment scene, Mayer could help the app deal with some of the biggest barriers hindering its global expansion.

Industry experts see TikTok’s poaching of Meyer as the next step for a business that has been ramping up its expansion plans and boosting its international presence. While the move will help TikTok establish itself globally, some observers believe that even with Mayer on board, the company will find it challenging to address rising concerns over its Chinese ownership.

Who is Kevin Mayer?

At Disney, Mayer got the nickname “Buzz Lightyear” not only because of his looks, which resemble the Toy Story character, but also because of his confidence and relentlessness.

As the right-hand man of recently retired Disney CEO Bob Iger, Mayer was with the entertainment and media conglomerate for 15 years and was instrumental to its acquisition of Marvel Entertainment, Pixar Animation Studios, Lucasfilm, and 21st Century Fox.

He led the launch of Disney+ streaming service in November 2019 and oversaw Disney’s direct-to-consumer businesses, including Hulu and ESPN+, as well as its international operations.

Mayer, who was passed over as chief executive of Disney in February, will lead TikTok’s global expansion and report directly to ByteDance founder and CEO Zhang Yiming, the company said in a statement shared with Tech in Asia.

ByteDance declined to comment further on Mayer’s appointment.

At TikTok, Mayer will oversee corporate functions, including corporate development, sales, marketing, public affairs, security, moderation, and legal. He will also lead ByteDance’s music, gaming, and emerging businesses as well as Helo, a social media app popular in India.

Alex Zhu, the current TikTok CEO who co-founded Musical.ly, will transition to vice president of product and strategy at ByteDance.

TikTok’s China operations, which generate most of ByteDance’s revenue, will still be led by the executives in the country, bypassing Mayer, who will be based in Los Angeles and focus on international operations.

A natural move

To infinity and beyond

Treading a thin line