Go read this report on ByteDance employees with ties to Chinese state media - The Verge
Forbes reviewed LinkedIn profiles of ByteDance employees and found 300 used to work for Chinese state media outlets — and some still appear to. The China-based company owns TikTok and has been a target of US lawmakers.
Hundreds of employees at TikTok’s parent company ByteDance used to work for Chinese state media outlets — and more than a dozen apparently still do, Forbes reports.
Forbes surveyed LinkedIn profiles of ByteDance and TikTok employees and found that 300 people had previously worked for state media entities, with current roles at the tech firm including content partnerships, strategy, policy, monetization, and “media cooperation.”
Of the profiles Forbes reviewed, 15 suggested that the ByteDance employees work at the tech firm and state media outlets simultaneously. It’s possible these employees simply neglected to update their profiles — employees contacted by Forbes didn’t respond. But the overlap between state media and ByteDance employees appears well-established.
Forbes writes that ByteDance spokesperson Jennifer Banks didn’t contest that the 300 employees worked at the company or that they were previously affiliated with state media outlets. Hiring is done “purely on an individual’s professional capability to do the job,” Banks told Forbes.
“For our China-market businesses, that includes people who have previously worked in government or state media positions in China. Outside of China, employees also bring experience in government, public policy, and media organizations from dozens of markets.”
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