FILE PHOTO: A TikTok logo is displayed on a smartphone in this illustration taken on January 6, 2020. REUTERS / Dado Ruvic / Illustration / File Photo
(Reuters) – TikTok has been in talks with the UK government in recent months to locate its London headquarters, a source familiar with the matter said, as part of a strategy to distance itself from its Chinese property.
London is among one of several places the company is considering, but no decisions have been made, the source said.
It was not immediately clear what other locations are under consideration. But this year he has aggressively hired in California, including poaching Kevin Mayer, a former Walt Disney Co executive, to be the CEO of TikTok. It is based in the United States.
TikTok faces intense scrutiny in Washington on suspicions that China could compel the company to hand over user data. TikTok is owned by ByteDance, based in China.
The source said the company has focused largely on its problems in the United States in recent weeks, but has not ruled out London as a potential location for its new headquarters. TikTok is expected to “significantly” increase the size of its workforce in London and other key locations outside of China in the coming years, the source said.
The Sunday Times reported that bit.ly/2ZHlI1Z Tiktok has interrupted talks with the UK government to open a world headquarters in Britain.
A source said that Tiktok was still in talks with the British government.
TikTok declined to comment.
Echo Wang’s report in New York; editing by Jonathan Oatis
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