TikTok exec who ‘didn’t believe’ in maternity leave takes step back
TikTok has launched a formal investigation into comments from a senior exec at its parent firm ByteDance, who said at a staff dinner in London that as a “capitalist”, he “didn’t believe” companies should offer maternity leave.
The Chinese social media firm confirmed the initial reports from the Financial Times and a spokesperson told CityAM: “We are investigating alleged statements and actions to determine whether there has been a breach of company policies.”
It is understood that the comments made by Head of E-commerce (UK/Europe) Joshua Ma caused outrage across the London employees. According to his LinkedIn, he has been in this role since August 2021.
Ma reportedly announced that he would be stepping back from his role this afternoon, according to an email seen by the FT.
TikTok has a clear maternity leave policy in the UK, including 30 weeks of paid leave for staff.