TikTok COO Vanessa Pappas Steps Down After 5 Years in the Role

After five years of being TikTok's chief operating officer (COO), Vanessa Pappas has resigned to focus on her "entrepreneurial passions."

"Given all the successes reached at TikTok, I finally feel the time is right to move on and refocus on my entrepreneurial passions," Pappas wrote in her email to employees.

Before leaving the company, Pappas was one of the visible executives in the company in the United States as TikTok tried to fight off a ban under two presidential administrations. She even represented the company in a Senate hearing last September.

TikTok is currently in the regulatory hot seat in the US and sharing broader social media scrutiny with firms like Meta. The company faces worldwide scrutiny over security concerns due to its Chinese ownership.

Vanessa Pappas Stepping Down as TikTok COO

According to Reuters, Vanessa Pappas will remain in TikTok in an advisory role during the transition. The former COO will reportedly continue as a strategic adviser.

Pappas has been with TikTok since 2018, starting as a general manager. Given all the successes they had earned at TikTok, Pappas, who identifies herself as both a woman and non-binary and used the pronoun they/them, noted that this felt a perfect timing to move on and refocus on different things.

They described their stay with TikTok as an "exhilarating ride" as they celebrated milestones, moments, and the industry's "firsts," including generative AI, robotics, renewable energy, genomics, and more.

"Clearly, the future will again look much different," Pappas noted. ByteDance Chief Executive Officer Shou Zi Chew commended Pappas in an email after announcing their departure.

"I'd also like to thank V. again for their contributions and continued commitment to the company. This is an important time for our company, and I am confident that we are in a strong position to match the opportunities ahead of us," Chew said.

Vanessa Pappas' Stay at TikTok

Before becoming the COO in April 2021, The Verge reported that they became the US general manager of TikTok in 2018 and the interim CEO in 2020. Currently, TikTok's chief of staff, Adam Presser, will become the head of operations to oversee content, user operations, and distribution.

Pappas also worked at YouTube for almost eight years, leading audience development and creative insights. They also became the vice president of Next New Networks, focusing on audience and strategic partnerships.

New Hire

On Thursday, Bloomberg reported that Chew announced that Zenia Mucha would join TikTok as chief brand and communications officer. Mucha was previously a 20-year veteran at the Walt Disney Company.

In her new role at TikTok, Mucha will focus on advancing the strategic vision of the company's brand and advising key businesses. She will be in charge of overseeing essential corporate functions such as global communications and marketing.

In Chew's email to employees, he said Mucha had an "extraordinary track record of advising the highest-level corporate executives on strategic and crisis communications, media and investor relations, reputation management, brand optimization, and employee relations" throughout her career.

"Zenia brings vast experience and expertise from the entertainment industry and we are eager for her to hit the ground running," Chew noted.