TikTok's Vanessa Pappas Pushed the Platform to Thrive

For some people who ascend to the C-suite, the journey is a smooth one. For Vanessa Pappas, chief operating officer of TikTok, the opposite is true. Pappas joined TikTok in December 2018 as general manager, U.S., after nearly eight years with YouTube, and was then elevated to general manager for North America, Australia and New Zealand in July 2019. But it was a little over a year later when things really started to get interesting. Then-President Donald Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One in July 2020 that he intended to ban TikTok in the U.S., accusing the platform of sharing user data with its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, and with government officials in Beijing. Trump threatened to invoke emergency economic powers to prohibit U.S. contractors from working with the company. TikTok fired back, asserting that no user data was shared in China, but the Trump administration kept applying pressure. That pressure got to former Disney executive Kevin Mayer, who joined TikTok as CEO on June 1, 2020, but stepped down on Aug. 27, 2020, with Pappas assuming the role of interim head of TikTok. There were also merger talks with Microsoft, extensive negotiations regarding a partnership with Oracle and deadlines imposed—but never enforced—by the Trump administration for ByteDance to sell TikTok. The backdrop to these political clashes was the Covid-19 pandemic, which led to audience growth on TikTok as more people spent more time at home but also added unprecedented challenges to running a company. I care deeply about ensuring that people feel a sense of purpose here.Vanessa Pappas “For me personally, the challenges over the past year have been a humbling moment and have really magnified our purpose in so many ways,” Pappas says. “Our company mission is to inspire creativity and bring joy, and I care deeply about ensuring that people feel a sense of purpose here. As we grow during the pandemic, we continue to prioritize camaraderie and transparency to make us better as a company by hosting virtual forums, town halls with leaders and informal discussions with employee resource groups.” Joining the 1 billion club A new administration took most of the heat off ByteDance and TikTok, and Pappas shifted to her current role of COO in April, when ByteDance financial chief Shouzi Chew was named CEO. Keeping TikTok afloat was enough of a challenge. But under Pappas’ leadership, TikTok did more than survive; it thrived, topping 1 billion monthly active users in September. “When I joined TikTok nearly three years ago, few could have imagined that this platform would become an entertainment phenomenon that would touch the lives of more than 1 billion people around the world,” Pappas says. The ability to involve TikTok creators and users in campaigns through user-generated content led several major brands, including Chipotle, DSW, Gap, Sonic and Warner Bros., to incorporate hashtag TikTok challenges into their campaigns. In October 2019, an effort by e.l.f. Cosmetics led to a rise up the Spotify music charts with the full-length original song “Eyes.Lips.Face.” TikTok bolstered its efforts in commerce by teaming up with Shopify last October and expanding that relationship to more markets over the course of this year. Recognizing that music is an essential component of the app and a key building block for its creators, full-time channel TikTok Radio debuted on SiriusXM in August. In July, TikTok even dipped its toes into waters dominated by LinkedIn, debuting TikTok Resumes—which lets people share video resumes with employers including Alo Yoga, Chipotle, Contra, Movers+Shakers, Shopify, Target and World Wrestling Entertainment. The platform also took several steps to ensure the safety of its users, particularly the teens who have flocked to the app. “Our team at TikTok works hard to provide a safe, inclusive and entertaining platform for so many people around the world,” Pappas says. “I feel an immense sense of pride to see our team relentlessly pursue our North Star and to see the tremendous growth, innovation and partnerships that have forged over the past year.” TikTok has added well-being updates, new tools to promote kindness, family pairing settings to give parents more control over their kids’ experiences and a separate age-appropriate experience for those under 18. “As we all navigate through unprecedented times, it's been inspiring to see the power of TikTok's community,” Pappas says. “Day in and day out, we see how TikTok can really change lives, start cultural movements, keep small businesses afloat and catapult the careers of emerging talent. … Our journey to get to this point has been one for the history books, and it's incredible to see how much our community and company has grown.” Check out the rest of the 2021 Hot List here.

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How TikTok's Vanessa Pappas Pushed the Platform Not Just to Survive, but to Thrive

Adweek's 2021 Digital Executive of the Year led growth despite the Trump administration's efforts to ban it

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David Cohen