S'porean TikTok CEO Chew Shou Zi reportedly attending Trump inauguration

Chew Shou Zi, the Singaporean chief executive officer (CEO) of TikTok, plans to attend the inauguration of U.S. president-elect Donald Trump.

The 42-year-old has been invited to sit in a position of honour on the dais, where former presidents, family members, and other important guests are traditionally seated, reported The New York Times.

Chew will join other tech moguls like Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk, who sources say will also attend the event.

Amazon's Jeff Bezos has also been invited.

Enemies to lovers

Trump, initially a staunch opponent of the social media platform TikTok, and in 2020 announced plans to ban it, has since appeared to have a change of heart.

He filed a brief in December 2024 asking the Supreme Court to block a law, which would force a sale or ban of TikTok by Jan. 19.

"I'm gonna save TikTok," he said in June 2024.

But it appears that all things withstanding, the ban might go through.

The court signalled on Jan. 10 that it is likely to uphold the ban, with Justice Brett Kavanaugh noting the danger of China using information from TikTok to "develop spies, turn people, blackmail people" in the United States.

On the opposing side, concerns were raised about whether Congress has the right to completely shut down the application, and whether such a ban is necessary.

Top image from Donald J. Trump/Facebook & SenTomCotton/X