TikTok retrenches staff around the world, including those in S'pore

Social media platform TikTok laid off several employees from its Trust and Safety unit at its Singapore office, located at Raffles Quay, on Feb. 20, 2025.

According to a LinkedIn user who identified as a product manager on the team, the layoff impacted "multiple departments across Trust and Safety" and "some really bright and passionate individuals".

The Straits Times reported that at least 12 TikTok employees in Singapore lost their jobs "with immediate effect" after receiving an email from the company notifying them about the layoff on Feb. 20.

In the email, TikTok stated that the decision was made "after months of careful consideration" to help the company with its "operational efficiency" and align better with its business needs, according to ST.

Just two days before the layoff, the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) announced that TikTok had the highest safety rating amongst six social media platforms in Singapore.

Layoff also affects other regions

According to ST, TikTok's Feb. 20 layoff was part of the company's effort to downsize its backend team worldwide "to better align operations with long-term growth plans".

Besides Singapore, employees from TikTok's offices in Asia-Pacific, Europe, Middle East, Africa, and the United States were also affected, reported Reuters, citing two sources familiar with the matter.

In January 2024, TikTok's chief executive officer (CEO) Chew Shou Zi told the United States Congress that the company has 40,000 trust and safety professionals worldwide.

He also stated that TikTok would invest more than US$2 billion (S$2.67 billion) in trust and safety efforts.

Mothership has reached out to TikTok for comments.

Recent tech layoffs

TikTok's Feb. 20 retrenchment took place around 10 days after Facebook's parent company, Meta, laid off several employees at its Singapore office as part of its "performance terminations".

The latest round of layoffs at Meta would affect around 3,600 of its employees worldwide, which represent 5 per cent of its global headcount.

On Feb. 13, Singapore-based property technology platform PropertyGuru also retrenched 174 employees — around 12 per cent of its workforce — and shut down three of its business units, including home service portal Sendhelper.

In a note published on the company's website, Trevor Mather, chairman of the board of directors at PropertyGuru, said the company made the decision "after deep consideration of what's necessary for [its] long-term growth and success".

He also stated that the change reflects PropertyGuru's commitment to build "a more focused, agile, and effective organisation".

Top image via Xiaohongshu