From Intern to Industry Rival: The Rise of TikTok’s CEO Shou Zi Chew

Once an intern at Facebook, Shou Zi Chew now stands as one of Mark Zuckerberg’s fiercest competitors, leading TikTok, the platform that has disrupted the social media landscape. Chew’s journey from an aspiring tech professional to the CEO of one of the most influential social platforms is a story of ambition, adaptability, and timing.

Starting Out Under Zuckerberg’s Wing

Before becoming TikTok’s CEO, Chew began his career at Zuckerberg’s Facebook. Born and raised in Singapore, he earned a degree in economics from University College London and later pursued an MBA at Harvard Business School. During his MBA program, Chew interned at Facebook, then an emerging social media powerhouse.

“It was called Facebook,” Chew reminisced in an interview with Harvard Business School’s alumni network, reflecting on his summer internship in California.

Climbing the Global Tech Ladder

Chew’s career quickly evolved beyond his internship at Facebook. After his time in Silicon Valley, he took on roles in London, Singapore, and Hong Kong, eventually joining Chinese tech company Xiaomi in 2015. As Xiaomi’s chief financial officer, Chew helped the company achieve a historic milestone: its public listing in 2018.

In 2021, Chew’s professional trajectory intersected with Zuckerberg’s again – but this time as a competitor. He joined ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, first as chief financial officer. Later that year, he became TikTok’s CEO, solidifying his role as the face of Meta’s most formidable rival.

TikTok: A Social Media Phenomenon

Under Chew’s leadership, TikTok has become a global sensation with over 1 billion users worldwide, including at least 150 million monthly active users in the United States. Unlike other leading platforms controlled by Zuckerberg, TikTok stands apart, reshaping the way people consume and create content.

However, Zuckerberg has long been aware of TikTok’s potential. Back in 2016, he reportedly attempted to acquire Musical.ly, a lip-syncing app that would later be folded into TikTok after ByteDance acquired it for $800 million in 2017. The merger between Musical.ly and TikTok transformed the platform into a global juggernaut.

Zuckerberg’s counter-efforts included the launch of Lasso, a TikTok clone, in 2018. Despite significant investment, Lasso failed to gain traction and was shut down by 2020.