According to a Thursday email seen by Reuters, TikTok COO V. Pappas is leaving the short-video firm controlled by China’s ByteDance after five years.
In an email, Pappas told colleagues they would advise the company during the changeover.
“Given all the successes reached at TikTok, I finally feel the time is right to move on and refocus on my entrepreneurial passions,” said Pappas, who uses the pronoun they.
In a note to staff seen with Reuters, ByteDance CEO Shou Chew said that Zenia Mucha, a 20-year veteran of Walt Disney Co (DIS.N), will join TikTok as chief brand and communications officer.
Chew said TikTok’s chief of staff, Adam Presser, will become head of operations and handle content, user operations, and distribution. TikTok’s Chinese ownership has raised security concerns globally.
Last week, U.S. lawmakers announced new legislation to prevent U.S. foes from using Americans’ user data.
Montana became the first state to prohibit TikTok last month, prompting TikTok to sue.