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TikToks CEO Might Attend Trumps Inauguration, New Report Says

He joins Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos, and Elon Musk.

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew might show at Trump’s inauguration. Credit: Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

It looks like Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos, and Elon Musk won’t be the only tech CEOs attending President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration on Monday. According to The New York Times, Shou Chew, the CEO of TikTok, will also attend.

This comes as the Supreme Court continues to debate the fate of Chew’s app in the U.S., which could result in 170 million people losing access to it. If the court upholds the ban, as other courts have done, it will go into effect on Sunday, Jan. 19.

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It’s unclear how that ban will look, but we know that while your phone might not self-combust the second you open TikTok, it won’t work as you’re used to it. App stores like Apple and Google and internet hosting companies will be penalized by the government if they distribute or update the app, and anonymous sources at TikTok told Reuters that U.S. users would be faced with a pop-up message that will take them to a website with information about the ban starting on Sunday, unless the Supreme Court steps in.

The Times reported that the invitation to the executive to attend the inauguration came from the Trump Vance Inaugural Committee. This represents a stark reversal in Trump’s approach to TikTok. In 2020, Trump attempted to ban the app through an executive order, which didn’t stick. Now, he appears to be supportive of the app. He met with TikTok executives in December at Mar-a-Lago in Florida, and during his campaign, he announced, “I’m gonna save TikTok.”

Christianna Silva is a senior culture reporter covering social platforms and the creator economy, with a focus on the intersection of social media, politics, and the economic systems that govern us. Since joining Mashable in 2021, they have reported extensively on meme creators, content moderation, and the nature of online creation under capitalism.

Before joining Mashable, they worked as an editor at NPR and MTV News, a reporter at Teen Vogue and VICE News, and as a stablehand at a mini-horse farm. You can follow her on Bluesky @christiannaj.bsky.social and Instagram @christianna_j.

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