TikTok, the Chinese-owned video sharing app, is to create 200 jobs at its new Dublin base over the next three months, bringing its total Irish headcount to 1,100.
TikTok opened its EMEA Trust & Safety Hub in Dublin in early 2020, initially employing 20 people. More than 100 million people in Europe are active on TikTok each month and it has around 800 million users worldwide.
The app lets users – who are mostly under the age of 30 – upload short videos in which they lip-sync to popular songs, dance or otherwise entertain.
TikTok is owned by Chinese company ByteDance. It is under pressure in the US from President Donald Trump, who is trying to ban the app’s use there, citing security concerns around the collection of users’ personal data by the Chinese business.
In response, ByteDance is courting potential US investors to buy a stake in the company before a Trump-ordered deadline of November 12. Reports suggest that Oracle or Walmart may be interested in buying a stake, while Susquehanna, a US trading and technology business, already reportedly owns 15% of ByteDance.
In Association with
TikTok said that data protection and privacy is a key function of its Dublin operation, which will become the joint data controller for users in the European market. The company also revealed plans to establish a data centre in Ireland by 2022, in what would be a €420m investment and create additional jobs.
TikTok’s Irish expansion is being supported by IDA Ireland and has been welcomed by Taoiseach Micheál Martin and enterprise minister Leo Varadkar.
Vanessa Pappas, interim head of TikTok, said that Ireland’s strong pool of skilled and diverse talent, as well as its booming digital and technology sector, were among the attractions for the company.
“TikTok is a community like no other: it's a platform that entertains and informs users, fuels creators' career ambitions and provides unique opportunities for brands and music artists to reach and engage with their respective audiences in exciting and unexpected ways,” Pappas added.
Photo: TikTok's Cormac Keenan (right) with Taoiseach Micheal Martin and IDA Ireland CEO Martin Shanahan (left). (Pic: Maxwells Dublin)
