Commenting on TikTok’s global cuts of hundreds of staff, SMU Senior Lecturer of Communication Management Tracy Loh said TikTok’s move is not unexpected against the backdrop of tech layoffs in recent months. In fact, the firm has slashed headcount later than other big tech companies, she noted. She noted Douyin, TikTok's sister firm in China, has been more aggressive, and added, “What might be slightly more interesting for TikTok is they have said that they are letting people go in the marketing, the content marketing as well as in the user support teams. That is a little bit more unusual. They’re not letting go of the tech people.”
