TikTok is once again facing the threat of being banned in the US. The US House of Representatives has passed a bill requiring parent company ByteDance to sell TikTok or face being pulled from app stores here.

Since August 2020, when former President Donald Trump tried to ban TikTok via executive order, the company has been under intense attack from state and federal politicians . However, these ban efforts have not stood up in court.

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TikTok employees are more concerned about their job security than TikTok being banned. (Photo: Insider)

For American employees at TikTok and ByteDance, the constant attacks don’t bother them. Bills aimed at shutting down the app in the US are “harmless.”

“I’ve been here for a few years and I’ve seen threats and gossip come and go,” said one anonymous TikTok employee. “It doesn’t really affect my day-to-day work, other than being a bit of a distraction, like a cloud hanging over my head.”

Other employees said they felt “numb” in the face of ongoing threats, and said the atmosphere at the company had not changed much in recent weeks, even as TikTok asked users to call their political representatives to protest the US ban.

“I think most people are used to it,” said another employee.

Even if President Joe Biden signs the TikTok ban into law, TikTok employees have good reason to believe they will be safe. Other attempts to ban TikTok, such as a 2023 Montana law, have been struck down on First Amendment grounds. Both of this year’s presidential candidates have also shifted their stance on TikTok. So the platform’s future fate is even more uncertain.

TikTok employees are finding it increasingly difficult to distinguish between real and political threats. Many are so busy with work that they don’t really think about it. They’re more concerned about their jobs and making sure they don’t get fired.

Another anonymous employee said job security was a top concern, as it's not a good time for the tech job market.

Beyond court victories, TikTok employees say its popularity in the US—with more than 170 million monthly users—could act as a shield against government interference. “If they ban TikTok, I can imagine the approval rating in Congress dropping even further,” they say.

(According to BI)