Yintao Yu, the former head of engineering for ByteDance’s US operations, has filed a wrongful
termination lawsuit against TikTok’s parent company.
Yu has made several allegations against
ByteDance, including that it stole content from competitors like Instagram and Snapchat and that it
served as a “propaganda tool” for the Chinese government.
According to Yu’s complaint, the Chinese government monitored ByteDance’s work and provided
guidance on promoting “core communist values.” Yu claims he was fired for disclosing “wrongful
conduct” he saw at the company. TikTok has faced scrutiny in Washington and some states over
whether it can keep American data safe from the Chinese government.
The Biden administration has threatened to ban the app if its Chinese owners don’t sell their stakes.
TikTok maintains that it never gave US user data to China’s government and wouldn’t do so if asked.
