Chew Shou Zi (Chinese: 周受资, born 1 January 1983), commonly known as Shou Zi Chew, is a Singaporean businessman and entrepreneur who has been serving as the chief executive officer of TikTok, an online video platform owned by Chinese company ByteDance, since 2021.[1][2][3]
Shou Zi Chew | |||||||||||||||||||
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_(cropped).jpg) Chew in 2023 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 1 January 1983 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Citizenship | Singaporean | ||||||||||||||||||
| Education | |||||||||||||||||||
| Title | CEO of TikTok (2021–present) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Spouse | Vivian Kao | ||||||||||||||||||
| Children | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||||||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 周受資 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 周受资 | ||||||||||||||||||
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Early life and education edit
Chew was born on 1 January 1983[4] in Singapore.[5] His father reportedly worked in construction while his mother was a bookkeeper.[6] Upon graduating from Hwa Chong Institution,[6] Chew went on to serve National Service in which he was a commissioned officer in the Singapore Armed Forces.[6]
After his military service, Chew went on to study at University College London in England.[7] He graduated from the college in 2006 with a Bachelor of Economics degree.[8] In 2010, he completed a Master of Business Administration degree at Harvard Business School,[5] and while there completed a summer internship at Facebook prior to its IPO.[9]
Career edit
After graduating from University College London in 2006, Chew worked at Goldman Sachs in London for two years as a banker before he joined Yuri Milner's venture capital firm DST Global.[6] At Russian investment firm DST Global,[10][11][12] Chew led investment into JD.com, Alibaba, and Xiaomi.[10][11][12] He also led a team of early investors in ByteDance in 2013.[6]
In 2015, Chew joined Xiaomi as its chief financial officer.[6] In 2019, he became Xiaomi's foreign business president.[6]
In March 2021, Chew joined ByteDance as its chief financial officer.[13][14] He subsequently replaced TikTok CEO Kevin A. Mayer,[15] who left the ByteDance subsidiary after three months on the job.[16]
In March 2023, Chew testified before the United States Congress regarding the legislative effort to ban TikTok in the United States.[17] He testified again in January 2024, during a United States Senate Judiciary Committee hearing regarding legislation on child internet safety.[18]
He is the honorary chairperson of the 2024 edition of the Met Gala as TikTok is the lead sponsor of the event.[19]
In April 24, 2024, US President Joe Biden signed a national security bill that Chew claims would inevitably ban TikTok in the United States. Chew also uploaded a video on TikTok stating that TikTok will raise the matter to courts on the same day.
Personal life edit
Chew is married to Vivian Kao, an American citizen of Taiwanese descent. They met in 2008 while studying at Harvard Business School.[6] The couple have two children and live in Singapore.[20]
References edit
- ^ "TikTok CEO to meet EU antitrust chief Vestager on Tuesday". Reuters. 6 January 2023. Archived from the original on 13 January 2023. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
- ^ "TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew Will Launch a European Charm Offensive After the Company Admitted ... - Latest Tweet by Bloomberg". LatestLY. 10 January 2023. Archived from the original on 13 January 2023. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
- ^ "TikTok Launches EU Charm Offensive Amid US Crackdown". Bloomberg.com. 10 January 2023. Archived from the original on 10 January 2023. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
- ^ Bendlin, Karli (24 March 2023). "Who Is TikTok CEO Shou Chew? Everything to Know". Peoplemag. Retrieved 27 July 2023.
- ^ a b Thorbecke, Catherine (20 January 2023). "Who is Shou Zi Chew? Mounting scrutiny on TikTok could put new spotlight on its CEO | CNN Business". CNN. Archived from the original on 1 February 2023. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Lee, Amanda (23 March 2023). "From Facebook intern to TikTok CEO: Who is Singaporean Chew Shou Zi? | The Straits Times". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 23 March 2023. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
- ^ "State governments are banning TikTok, and global leaders are applauding the effort". Tubefilter. 10 January 2023. Archived from the original on 13 January 2023. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
- ^ "TikTok fined $5.4 million by France for 'cookies' related issues". WION. Archived from the original on 13 January 2023. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
- ^ "Who is TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew?". WION. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
- ^ a b Fried, Ina (1 July 2015). "Xiaomi Taps DST Investment Partner Shou Zi Chew to Be CFO". Vox. Archived from the original on 3 April 2023. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
Chew had been a partner at DST, Yuri Milner's Russian investment firm, and an investor in Xiaomi. At DST, Chew was involved in the firm's investments in Xiaomi, JD.com and Alibaba.
- ^ a b "China's Xiaomi names DST partner Chew as chief financial officer". Reuters. 1 July 2015. Archived from the original on 3 April 2023. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
Chew, one of several bankers who left Goldman Sachs' London office in the late 2000s to join Russian billionaire Yuri Milner's DST, has been involved in the fund's investment in e-commerce firms Alibaba Group Holding Ltd and JD.com Inc, as well as Didi Dache, China's leading ride-hailing app. / Although DST's investment in Xiaomi originated from Milner's longstanding relationship with Xiaomi co-founder and chief executive Lei Jun, Chew, a Singaporean national known for his analytical skills, has been a key behind-the-scenes booster for Xiaomi during recent capital-raising deals.
- ^ a b Dou, Eva. "Shou Zi Chew Joins Xiaomi as CFO". WSJ. Archived from the original on 3 April 2023. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
a former partner of Russian investment firm DST Global has joined [Xiaomi] as chief financial officer, its latest hire of a senior executive with an international background. / Shou Zi Chew, a Singaporean, had joined billionaire investor Yuri Milner's DST Global in 2010, and was involved in the company's investments in Xiaomi and other Chinese tech companies, Xiaomi said.
- ^ AP (11 January 2023). "TikTok boss Shou Zi Chew meets European officials as scrutiny intensifies". www.business-standard.com. Archived from the original on 12 January 2023. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
- ^ Yang, Yingzhi; Zhu, Julie; Woo, Ryan (24 March 2021). "TikTok owner ByteDance hires CFO in a step towards IPO". Reuters. Archived from the original on 26 March 2021. Retrieved 27 March 2023.
- ^ Iyengar, Rishi. "What TikTok Has on You". Foreign Policy. Archived from the original on 12 January 2023. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
- ^ "TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew meets with EU Commission vice-president". SABC News - Breaking news, special reports, world, business, sport coverage of all South African current events. Africa's news leader. 10 January 2023. Archived from the original on 13 January 2023. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
- ^ Shepardson, David; Ayyub, Rami (24 March 2023). "TikTok congressional hearing: CEO Shou Zi Chew grilled by US lawmakers". Reuters. Archived from the original on 25 March 2023. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
- ^ Shepardson, David; Brice, Makini (31 January 2024). "Tech CEOs told 'you have blood on your hands' at US Senate child safety hearing". Reuters. Retrieved 31 January 2024.
- ^ Chin, Hui Shan (16 February 2024). "TikTok CEO Chew Shou Zi named honorary chair for Met Gala 2024". The Straits Times. ISSN 0585-3923. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
- ^ Allen, Joseph (24 March 2023). "TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew's Congressional Hearing Has Many Curious About His Family". Distractify. Archived from the original on 25 March 2023. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
