How Many People Work At TikTok 2026: Numbers, Growth & Team Structure

TikTok has grown rapidly over the past few years, not just in user base, but also in the size and structure of its workforce. Understanding how many people work at TikTok today reveals how the company is adapting to regulatory pressures, global expansion, and evolving product demands. In industries from content moderation to marketing analytics, large teams are needed to maintain safety, user experience, and growth.

For example, brands budgeting for influencer campaigns need to know whether TikTok has adequate staff to support advertising operations. Similarly, regulators in the U.S. and EU examine how much employees’ power, trust, and safety are, to judge whether TikTok can meet legal obligations. Read on to explore current and historical employee numbers, how TikTok’s workforce breaks down by region, and what those numbers suggest for its future.

How Many People Work At TikTok?

• As of 2023, TikTok had approximately 38,578 employees worldwide.
• In that same year, over 11,400 of those employees were based in the United States.
• In early 2025, TikTok confirmed it has about 7,000 U.S. employees, amid U.S. regulatory pressures.
• U.S. employee departures increased by 38% in late 2024 compared to the same period in 2023.
• TikTok supports 4.7 million U.S. jobs through businesses that use its platform, directly or indirectly.
• According to Oxford Economics, 28 million workers are employed by the 7.5 million U.S. businesses that use TikTok in some capacity.

Recent Developments

• In early 2025, amid threats of a potential U.S. ban, TikTok assured its 7,000 U.S. employees that their employment, pay, and benefits would remain secure.
• The departures of U.S.-based staff increased significantly in the second half of 2024, rising 38% compared to the same span in 2023.
• Hiring in the U.S. has slowed; TikTok’s U.S. recruitment pace dropped to its lowest level since the second half of 2020.
• TikTok’s trust & safety and moderation teams are undergoing global restructuring, with layoffs in regions including Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and Africa.
• In Germany, TikTok laid off about 150 content moderation/trust & safety staff in Berlin, nearly 40% of that office’s workforce in that domain.
• London is another location seeing planned cuts, about 300 roles in content moderation/trust & safety are reportedly being eliminated there.
• The shift includes increased reliance on AI and outsourcing for moderation tasks in certain markets.
• Despite internal shifts and external pressures, TikTok has reported that it is investing substantially in safety infrastructure, though public numbers of new hiring vs. layoffs in that domain remain uneven.

TikTok’s Current Team (Key People)

• Shou Zi Chew, Chief Executive Officer of TikTok. He leads global strategy and oversight.
• Blake Chandlee, President, Global Business Solutions, although he is stepping down from this leadership role in 2025, is moving to an advisory capacity as part of a reorg.
• Will Liu, now leads the combined Global Business Solutions and Global Monetization Product Technology teams after the merger of those functions.
• Khartoon Weiss, newly promoted to Head of North America Sales. She oversees ad sales operations for the U.S./North America region.
• Erica Mindel, Public Policy Manager of Hate Speech, is joining TikTok in mid‑2025 to lead efforts in addressing antisemitism and related content policy challenges.
• Adam Presser, now overseeing Trust & Safety operations globally. He reports to the CEO and is part of the leadership shake‑ups intended to strengthen moderation and safety oversight.
• Anuj Bhatia, Chief Nodal & Grievance Officer, is part of the Leadership Team managing grievance procedures and nodal response, especially relevant in regulatory or policy‑driven content disputes.
• Nicky Raghavan, Global Head of HR, leads people operations globally, important for employee policy, culture, and organizational structure.

TikTok Advertising Audience Share by Region

• South-Eastern Asia leads with 18.7% of TikTok’s global advertising reach.
• Southern America follows at 14.3%, showing strong TikTok penetration in Latin markets.
• Western Asia captures 9.7%, indicating high engagement in countries like Turkey and the Middle East.
• North America holds 9.3%, including the U.S. and Canada.
• Southern Asia accounts for 7.5%, though the figure is lowered due to TikTok’s ban in India.
• Central America makes up 7.1% of the platform’s ad reach.
• Eastern Europe contributes 6.8% to TikTok’s total ad audience.
• Northern Africa claims 5.7%, ahead of Western Europe.
• Western Europe sits at 3.6%, slightly ahead of Southern Europe’s 3.4%.
• Eastern Asia (e.g., Japan, South Korea) represents 2.7% of the reach.
• Western Africa makes up 2.6%, showing steady user growth.
• Northern Europe contributes 2.3% to TikTok’s global ad reach.
• Southern Africa and Eastern Africa hold 1.5% and 1.4% respectively.
• Central Asia has a modest share of 1.1%.
• Caribbean nations collectively account for 0.9%.
• Middle Africa contributes 0.7% to TikTok’s advertising audience.
• Oceania has the smallest share at just 0.6%, despite high digital adoption in Australia and New Zealand.

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Employee Numbers Over Time

• In 2019, TikTok had around 10,000+ employees.
• By 2020, that number rose to about 12,694 employees.
• In 2021, TikTok’s workforce increased to over 20,000 employees.
• By 2022, the count had passed 30,000+ employees globally.
• In 2023, the global workforce was reported at 38,578.
• U.S.-based staff made up over 11,400 workers of that total in 2023.

Workforce by Region or Country

• Over 11,400 employees were based in the United States in 2023 out of ~38,578 globally.
• TikTok’s growth in U.S. employee count rose sharply through 2024 until slowed hiring and rising departures in the second half of 2024.
• Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and Africa are among the regions seeing trust & safety restructuring, meaning layoffs in those regions are material.
• Individual countries like Germany and the UK (Berlin and London teams) are being directly affected by layoffs in content moderation and trust & safety roles.
• Ireland, up to 300 roles risk redundancy in Dublin, affecting non‑frontline roles in trust & safety or quality/training. Dublin’s staff total is ~3,000 employees.
• In Germany, about 40% of the Berlin office’s trust & safety staff were laid off in 2025.
• TikTok has more than 40,000 trust & safety professionals worldwide, indicating that the workforce in that domain is a very large share of its overall staffing.
• Asia and EMEA are both regions where moderation and safety teams are being restructured, with layoffs or role shifts to AI/outsourcing.

US Public Opinion and Reasons For or Against a TikTok Ban

• 34% of Americans support banning TikTok, mainly due to national security concerns.
• 32% of respondents oppose the ban, defending the app’s role in speech and income.
• 33% are unsure, reflecting divided sentiment across the country.
• 83% of ban supporters cited data security risks as the top reason.
• 75% were concerned about Chinese ownership of the app.
• 54% pointed to misinformation as a justification for banning.
• 46% said TikTok is a time-wasting platform.
• 74% of ban opponents emphasized free speech concerns.
• 63% value TikTok as a major entertainment and information source.
• 61% believe there is not enough evidence to warrant a ban.
• 48% said the ban would hurt earners who rely on TikTok for income.

U.S. Employee Statistics

• TikTok maintains about 7,000 U.S. employees as of early 2025, according to internal communication and reporting.
• That number (≈7,000) is far lower than the ~11,400 reported for 2023, suggesting either reclassification, departures, or other workforce changes.
• U.S.-based departures rose 38% in H2 2024 vs H2 2023.
• U.S. hiring decelerated significantly during the same period, reaching its lowest level since late 2020.
• Despite political pressure, TikTok leadership has said that U.S. employees’ pay and benefits remain protected even under a potential ban.
• Oxford Economics reports that 4.7 million U.S. jobs currently benefit directly or indirectly from businesses using TikTok.
• Also, more than 1.6 million U.S. workers benefit indirectly from TikTok’s business ecosystem.
• U.S. businesses on TikTok number about 7.5 million.

Global TikTok Office Locations

• TikTok’s global headquarters are in Los Angeles and Singapore.
• Other major offices are in New York, London, Berlin, Tokyo, Dubai, Paris, and Sydney.
• In the Asia Pacific, TikTok has offices in Singapore, Seoul, Tokyo, Jakarta, Mumbai, Ho Chi Minh City, and Kuala Lumpur.
• In Europe & Middle East, besides London and Berlin, there are offices in Dubai, Paris, and multiple regional hubs.
• Latin America is represented with a TikTok office in Mexico City.
• Africa’s locations include Johannesburg and Casablanca.
• TikTok’s presence in the Philippines includes Manila.
• There are over 40 known office locations globally.

TikTok Users by Age Group

• The largest user group is 25–34 years old, making up 39.8% of TikTok’s total user base.
• 18–24 year olds represent 27.3%, showing continued dominance among younger adults.
• Users aged 35–44 years old account for 15.9%, reflecting a growing mid-career demographic.
• 8.8% of TikTok users are aged 45–54, showing moderate adoption among older millennials and Gen X.
• 8.2% are 55 years or older, indicating TikTok’s expanding reach into senior age groups.

TikTok’s Recruitment and Job Openings

• As of mid‑2025, TikTok and ByteDance had over 1,800 open roles in the U.S..
• Many of these roles focus on AI, e‑commerce, and search teams.
• Open positions include: backend software engineer, data analyst, product manager, campaign strategy operations manager.
• The company uses both internal and external hiring, including via visa filings for foreign hires.
• Recruitment in content moderation/trust & safety has slowed or been reduced in many regions.
• U.S. hiring has been particularly sensitive to regulatory uncertainty.
• The open role numbers suggest demand remains strong in tech & operations roles.

Diversity and Inclusion at TikTok

• TikTok has not published a recent global breakdown by gender, race/ethnicity, or age for its employees as of mid‑2025.
• In London, trust & safety layoffs reportedly include many content moderators from varied backgrounds.
• In Dublin, the Irish office employs about 3,000 people, with 300 roles (≈10%) flagged for redundancy.
• The trust & safety unit globally is said to number 40,000 professionals, though the split between frontline vs. non-frontline is unclear.
• Some reports indicate non‑frontline roles are being more heavily affected by cuts.
• Demographic data of content creators on TikTok shows high participation by younger users, but creator ≠ employees.
• Some U.S. visa filings and job advert locations imply international employees and remote hiring.

Average Salary and Compensation at TikTok

• Pay range for backend software engineers: around $144,000 to $301,158 annually.
• Machine learning scientists may earn between $168,000 and $390,000.
• Data scientists generally earn between $85,821 and $283,629.
• Product/design leadership roles can reach $900,000 in total compensation.
• General marketing managers: offers between $85,000 and $430,000.
• Some finance roles reported around $65,000 base pay.
• The top‑earning roles tend to be in high-cost-of-living cities or for roles requiring rare skills.
• Compensation varies widely with bonuses, equity, and benefits.

TikTok Workforce Growth Trends

• The workforce grew from ~10,000 in 2019 to ~38,000+ by 2023.
• U.S. growth slowed in late 2024.
• Mixed patterns in international hubs, with growth in tech and cuts in moderation.
• More AI tools are being used in moderation.
• Hiring remains strong in core growth areas, slower in administrative roles.

Layoffs or Restructuring at TikTok

• Global restructuring in early 2025 impacted trust & safety teams.
• An estimated 300 roles were cut in London.
• Cuts also occurred in Singapore, LA, and Dublin.
• Dublin: ~300 roles out of ~3,000 marked for redundancy.
• The company claims its focus is shifting to strategic priorities like AI and e‑commerce.

TikTok’s Economic Impact and Indirect Job Creation

• TikTok supports 4.7 million U.S. jobs through its business ecosystem.
• 7.5 million U.S. businesses use TikTok.
• Global expansion in e‑commerce and marketing creates indirect job growth.
• TikTok hubs stimulate local hiring and economic activity.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Conclusion

Today, TikTok stands at a crossroads, its employee numbers continue to grow in some core areas, AI, product, engineering, e‑commerce, while trust & safety and moderation teams face restructuring, layoffs, and shifts toward automation. Public information on employee demographics remains limited, but signs indicate that non‑frontline and overlapping roles are most vulnerable. Regulatory pressures around content safety and national security are reshaping hiring strategies, particularly in the U.S. and Europe.

For business leaders, potential employees, and policymakers, the evolving workforce at TikTok signals where opportunities lie and where risks persist. Understanding this will matter more as the platform continues adapting to global demands, regulations, and technological change.