Profile: TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew
Shou Zi Chew was born on January 1, 1983, he is a native of Singapore. Growing up from a poor background, he managed to get into one of Singapore’s best schools, Hwa Chong Institution, which laid the foundation for his future success.
According to The Straits Times, Hwa Chong University graduate Shou Zi Chew scored so high that he was accepted into the prestigious University of London.
However, Shou Zi Chew had to complete his compulsory national service before enrolling in university, as all Singaporean men are required to do so under Singapore law.
After completing his mandatory military service, Shou Zi Chew earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of London.
Work in a bank
The Straits Times also reported that after graduating from university, Shou Zi Chew spent two years working as a banker at Goldman Sachs.
Shou Zi Chew then continued his studies at Harvard Business School, where he eventually earned a master’s degree in business administration in 2010.
Internship at Facebook
While at Harvard, Shou Zi Chew joined Facebook when it was still a small company. He has gained valuable experience in the technology industry. Of course, Shou and Mark Zuckerberg had no idea that they would end up being each other’s biggest competitors later.
Meet his wife
Shou Zi Chew’s time at Harvard was also important because he met his wife, Vivian Kao, there.
Life after Facebook
After leaving Facebook, Shou Zi Chew spent five years at DST, where he managed the team that eventually became ByteDance’s first investors. It was another important decision that would shape the rest of his life.
Work for Xiaomi
Shou Zi Chew’s next big role in tech would see him take a big role at Chinese giant Xiaomi as chief financial officer and president of global business. What? did you know he helped the company go public in 2018?
Now in ByteDance!
After leaving Xiaomi, Shou Zi Chew then worked for TikTok developer ByteDance as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) in March 2021.
However, after a short stint as ByteDance’s CFO, Shou Zi Chew was unexpectedly promoted to the position of Chief Executive Officer (CEO) after then CEO Kevin A. Mayer decided to leave after three months on the job.
As the CEO of TikTok, Shou Zi Chew finds himself in the ironic position of competing with Facebook, the company he shut down! The two platforms are competing for users’ attention, and Facebook has been desperate to reach TikTok’s biggest user base: the youth. What a twist!
