TikTok CEO says company at 'pivotal moment' as some U.S. lawmakers seek ban

By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Chinese-owned short video app TikTok faces a "pivotal moment" as a growing number of U.S. lawmakers seek to ban the popular app over national security concerns, CEO Shou Zi Chew said.

Chew said in a video posted on TikTok early on Tuesday that the app now has more than 150 million active monthly U.S. users, representing almost half of the country's population and up from the 100 million U.S. users it had in 2020.

Chew, who will testify Thursday before the House Energy and Commerce Committee, noted that some politicians were talking about banning TikTok.

"This comes at a pivotal moment for us," he said on the video that featured the U.S. Capitol in the background and received more than 3.8 million views since it was posted earlier in the day.

"Some politicians have started talking about banning TiktTok. Now this could take TikTok away from all 150 million of you."

Chew asked TikTok users to leave comments about what they wanted U.S. lawmakers to know about "what you love about TikTok", and thousands responded in support.