TikTok merges its Core Product and Trust & Safety teams | TechCrunch

As TikTok’s future in the U.S. remains uncertain, the company is merging its Core Product and Trust & Safety teams into a single organization, according to an internal memo sent to staff by TikTok CEO Zi Shou Chew and viewed by TechCrunch and confirmed by TikTok.

“This new team will allow us to better leverage our technical capabilities across both business and safety objectives, and will help us move faster as we develop the next generation of safety technology,” Chew wrote in the memo.

As part of the changes, the memo said that TikTok’s head of Operations and Trust & Safety, Adam Presser, will become the General Manager of TikTok USDS, a separate entity of TikTok that’s tasked with safeguarding U.S. national security interests, TikTok confirmed to TechCrunch.

Andy Bonillo, the current General Manager of TikTok USDS, who led the organization’s creation and growth, will transition to a new role as Senior Advisor, reporting to Presser.

The TikTok Operations teams will continue to report directly to Presser, while Sandeep Grover will become the new head of Global Trust & Safety.

Meanwhile, Jenny Zi will become the leader for TikTok LIVE.

The reorganization comes as President Trump extended the TikTok shutdown deadline for a third time last month. The current deadline is September 17.

U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said last week that TikTok will go dark in the country if China doesn’t approve a deal for the sale of the app. Lutnick also stated that the U.S. must control the app’s algorithm as part of the sale.

Given the tense situation, which comes in the middle of a tariff war with China, it would not be surprising to see TikTok trying to beef up its USDS team as its U.S. deal hangs in the balance.

“For increased alignment across our robust trust and safety programs, the T&S Product team will now become part of the TikTok Product organization,” Chew wrote. “We are creating a new Platform Responsibility team, which will be led by Adam Wang, reporting to Fiona Zhi. Adam has successfully led the launch and expansion of TikTok LIVE globally over the past four years.”

“I am confident that this reorganization will put us in an even stronger position to match the opportunities ahead of us,” the memo said.