Who is Shou Zi Chew, the CEO of TikTok?

It is anticipated that there will be intense questioning directed at Shou Zi Chew, CEO of TikTok, from American lawmakers.

With increasing worldwide distrust towards TikTok, which could possibly result in the app being prohibited in the United States, attention has shifted towards the mysterious CEO of the Chinese platform, Shou Zi Chew.

On Thursday, a person from Singapore who is 40 years old will speak to the US House Energy and Commerce Committee about the security of data and privacy practices of an app and its connections to Beijing.

Not much information is available concerning his working style or the extent of his authority within the company.

Vanessa Pappas, the chief operating officer of TikTok, has frequently been in the spotlight as the representative of the company. In September of last year, she faced a thorough questioning from members of Congress regarding the transfer of American user data to China.

Last September, an article in the New York Times featured insights from ex-executives of TikTok and ByteDance. They hinted that Mr Chew's decision-making authority might be restricted and that the founder of ByteDance, Zhang Yiming, wields greater power over the company.

However, TikTok is currently highlighting Mr. Chew in the public eye, while the company's ties to the Chinese government are being closely examined.

Last June, the company sent a letter to lawmakers emphasizing its independence from its parent company, ByteDance. They made it clear that their executive was a Singaporean who resided in Singapore, not someone from China.

He was born and grew up in the urban region, where he attended a high-status educational institution that taught in the Chinese language. He has surpassed in communicating both in English and Mandarin. During his military service, he was appointed as an officer in the military of Singapore, which is deemed as an esteemed role.

Before joining Facebook as an intern during its early days, Mr Chew accomplished a bachelor's degree in economics from University College London. He then proceeded to complete an MBA at Harvard Business School.

As reported by the media, he spent five years at DST, a investment company. During that time, he was in charge of a team that invested in ByteDance in 2013, back when they were just starting out. He also spent two years working as an investment banker at Goldman Sachs.

Afterward, Mr Chew held a crucial position at Xiaomi, a prominent Chinese smartphone company. He served as the chief financial officer and president of international business, leading the company's successful public listing in 2018.

In March 2021, he left his previous job to join ByteDance, wherein he assumed the position of chief financial officer, a role that was previously unoccupied in the media company.

In only eight weeks, he took on the position of TikTok CEO. He replaced Kevin Mayer who unexpectedly resigned when the Trump administration demanded the selling of TikTok's US assets.

Mr Chew is currently dealing with a major hurdle in his professional journey as TikTok receives pressure from US legislators, requiring the company to sell off its American properties or risk being banned.

The matter has become a significant obstacle for people in China too.

An article from the Global Times, a government-controlled news outlet, published an opinion piece on Tuesday stating that the push for a ban on TikTok is motivated by a negative political vibe in America and goes against the free market principles. The news outlet also added that American officials and politicians view TikTok's Chinese origins as a negative trait.

With intense examination on either end, Mr Chew seems to have started a campaign to win favor in some way in the past few months.

Last February, Mr. Chew created his very own TikTok account @shou.time to give his followers a peek into his personal lifestyle, almost a year after he assumed control of the platform. Nearly 18,000 individuals now follow Mr. Chew on TikTok, where he has shared glimpses of himself attending Super Bowl and NBA games, meeting big-name celebrities such as Bill Murray, and even trying his best to dance alongside singer Ciara, albeit with some difficulty.

In various interviews, he has made appearances on several media platforms, discussing his love for golf and admiration for the comedian Kevin Hart. As a father of two, he is married to Vivian Kao, the CEO of an investment firm. Additionally, he has clarified that he forbids his offspring from accessing TikTok due to their young age.

Over the past few days, he has visited several prominent US media platforms to emphasize that TikTok does not jeopardize the United States' interests.

Additionally, he has reached out to users in the United States of the application to assist him. In a clip shared on the official TikTok account on Monday, aired during evening hours in Washington, he requested that they share what they would like to express to lawmakers.

In the video, which has received over 500,000 likes, he states: "This is a crucial moment for us. It could mean that TikTok becomes inaccessible for all 150 million of its users."