Some Ex-TikTok Employees Say Social Media Service Worked Closely With China-Based Parent Despite Claims of Independence

In January, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew faced an intense grilling by skeptical U.S. lawmakers about his company’s ties to Beijing and its alleged risk to national security. Calm under the barrage, he repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and reiterated that the social media service had cut most of its connections to ByteDance, its Chinese parent. But with the House voting in March to force ByteDance to sell its stake in TikTok, 11 former employees interviewed by Fortune tell a vastly different story. (Fortune)