TikTok taps insider Adam Presser to run new US business after ban threat

TikTok has turned to a familiar face to lead its newly created U.S. business, elevating a longtime lieutenant of its chief executive as the company seeks to preserve its foothold in its most politically fraught market. The company said Adam Presser, a senior operations executive who has worked closely with TikTok’s global chief, Shou Chew, would become chief executive of a new entity known as TikTok U.S. Data Security Joint Venture LLC. The unit was created after months of negotiations with the Trump administration to avert a ban over national security concerns and to insulate the app’s American operations from its Chinese parent, ByteDance.

The appointment places Presser in charge of one of the most influential social media platforms in the United States, used by more than half of Americans and valued at roughly $14 billion. The app has become a cultural force — and a political one. President Trump has credited TikTok with helping him reach young voters and reclaim the White House in 2024.

Presser, while little known outside the company, has been one of TikTok’s most powerful executives in the United States. He has reported directly to Chew, who in turn reports to ByteDance’s chief executive, Liang Rubo, and has long been viewed internally as a natural candidate to run the company’s U.S. business, according to a Bloomberg report.

Unlike many Silicon Valley executives, Presser comes from the entertainment industry and has spent significant time working in China. He attended Harvard-Westlake, an elite Los Angeles preparatory school, before earning undergraduate and graduate degrees from Yale, where he studied Chinese language and East Asian studies. He later attended both Harvard Business School and Harvard Law School.

His early career included several years at Ticketmaster Entertainment in China, followed by more than five years at WarnerMedia, where he rose to become executive vice president of international operations, overseeing markets including China. He joined TikTok in 2022 as chief of staff to Chew and was promoted the following year to head of operations, expanding his influence across the company’s creator and content teams.

In March 2024, Presser added responsibility for trust and safety — a critical role as Congress passed legislation requiring TikTok to sever ties with ByteDance in the United States or face a ban. Around that time, he was named general manager of TikTok’s U.S. data security arm, a move widely seen as a signal of his eventual elevation to the top job.

Presser has also been a central figure in TikTok’s efforts to address concerns about content moderation. In 2023, when prominent influencers and celebrities confronted the company over antisemitism on the platform, he led TikTok’s response.

Though Presser has no political background, his new role will place him squarely in Washington’s orbit. The Trump administration played a decisive role in shaping the deal that allowed TikTok to continue operating in the United States, repeatedly delaying enforcement of a ban while negotiations unfolded.

When the agreement was finalized this week, Trump celebrated the outcome on Truth Social, saying TikTok would now be owned by “Great American Patriots and Investors” and thanking China’s leader, Xi Jinping, for helping push the deal through.

The new U.S. entity will be responsible for safeguarding American user data, overseeing content moderation and securing TikTok’s recommendation algorithm, which will be leased from ByteDance and gradually retrained on U.S. data. Presser will also oversee business growth for TikTok and other ByteDance-owned apps in the United States, including CapCut and Lemon8.

Chew will remain chief executive of TikTok’s global business outside the United States, while ByteDance will continue to control key revenue engines such as advertising and online shopping.