Catenaa, Friday, April 25, 2025-TikTok has restructured its global e-commerce governance team, shifting oversight of key international markets — including Latin America — to leaders based in China and Singapore, according to a leaked internal memo obtained by Business Insider.
The move, announced in a staff memo by Global Moderation Head Yue Chen, comes amid recent layoffs affecting TikTok’s U.S. governance and experience division.
The reshuffle sidelines local managers and consolidates decision-making with global executives such as Lin Lin in Singapore and Jiechen Zhao and Sonny Chen in China.
The governance and experience team oversees marketplace safety, partner management, seller compliance and intellectual property protections.
The latest changes signal tightening control from TikTok’s parent, ByteDance, over operations in the Americas, especially after underwhelming 2024 e-commerce performance in the U.S.
TikTok launched its e-commerce platform in Mexico earlier this year and plans to introduce it in Brazil in the coming weeks. Despite initially hiring local experts, the memo indicates global executives will now spearhead the launch and moderation processes in Latin America.
The company has not publicly commented on the restructuring.
TikTok is navigating growing political uncertainty in the United States after a 2024 law ordered ByteDance to divest the U.S. version of the app. A proposed solution remains tied up in broader U.S.-China tensions.
Industry analysts say TikTok sees Latin America as a critical growth market, with e-commerce in the region projected to surpass $250 billion by 2028.
