Chief executive officer of Bytedanceโ€™s video-sharing app Tiktok, Kevin Mayer, said Wednesday that he was resigning, following an executive order from US President Donald Trump requiring the company to sell its US operations.

Details:ย Mayer said in a note to employees that he had decided to leave the company and that Vanessa Pappas, the general manager of Tikok US, will take over as interim global head of the company,ย The New York Timesย reported Thursday.

  • โ€œIn recent weeks, as the political environment has sharply changed, I have done significant reflection on what the corporate structural changes will require, and what it means for the global role I signed up for,โ€ Mayer wrote in the note.
  • โ€œAgainst this backdrop, and as we expect to reach a resolution very soon, it is with a heavy heart that I wanted to let you all know that I have decided to leave the company,โ€ he said.
  • Tiktok said in a statement sent to TechNode that โ€œthe political dynamics of the last few months have significantly changed what the scope of Kevinโ€™s role would be going forwardโ€ and that the company fully respects Mayerโ€™s decision.

READ MORE: Kevin Mayer might be exactly what Bytedance needs right now

Context:ย In May, Bytedance appointed Mayer, formerly the top executive for The Walt Disney Companyโ€™s streaming business, as its chief operating officer and Tiktokโ€™s chief executive officer.

  • Mayer was assigned to lead Bytedanceโ€™s global expansion as well as corporate development, sales, marketing, public affairs, security, and content moderation.
  • โ€œAs one of the worldโ€™s most accomplished entertainment executives, Kevin is incredibly well placed to take Bytedanceโ€™s portfolio of products to the next level,โ€ Zhang Yiming, Bytedance founder and CEO said at the time.
  • Trump signed an executive order on Aug. 6ย banningย โ€œany transactionโ€ between any person or company under US jurisdiction and Bytedance starting Sept. 15.
  • On Aug. 14, heย issuedย another executive order requiring Bytedance to either sell or spin off Tiktokโ€™s US operations within 90 days.
  • On Monday, Bytedanceย filed a lawsuitย challenging the Aug. 6 executive order, arguing that it was issued without evidence or due process, and that the companyโ€™s previously provided documentation was โ€œsufficient to address any conceivable US government privacy or national security concerns.โ€

Writing about semiconductors and telecommunications.