Anxiety continues to fester among TikTok’s U.S ecommerce workers, as the latest order from the social media company indicates that another round of layoffs may not be too far off.
According to Bloomberg, an internal memo sent to employees advised them to work from home as they await the outcome of “difficult decisions” being made by the company.
TikTok’s U.S. ecommerce operations, including TikTok Shop, currently employ over 1,000 workers, with a significant percentage based in Seattle.
In April, the company reorganized its reporting structure, with U.S. operations head Nico Le Bourgeois reporting to Mu Qing. Qing previously headed TikTok parent ByteDance‘s Douyin ecommerce unit in China.
Qing told employees that the changes occurring within the division are meant to “create a more efficient operating model,” adding, “operational and personnel changes to the ecommerce U.S. operation center and global key accounts teams beginning early on Wednesday.”
He promised that the process would be done compassionately, supporting the employees during this challenging period.
The news of the latest layoffs comes as the U.S. ecommerce unit has not recovered from the previous round of employee reductions in February and April, which impacted its trust and security team and global governance and experience team, respectively.
These changes come as TikTok continues to face uncertainty in the U.S. market. A buyer has still not been found for its U.S. operations despite another 75-day extension offered by President Donald Trump.
