TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew appears before Congress to defend the platform against a ban. | Photo by Becca Farsace / The Verge
TikTok’s CEO, Shou Zi Chew, seemed to arrive at the Capitol well-prepared.
Taking his seat before dozens of House Energy and Commerce Committee members Thursday, he opened a packet of notes, diligently indexed with sticky notes. In the packet, there appeared to be a sheet matching the names and faces of the lawmakers preparing to question him — many of whom had already made up their minds over whether the app was safe for Americans.
“Your platform should be banned,” Chair Cathy McMorris-Rodgers (R-WA) said in her opening statement Thursday. “I expect today you’ll say anything to avoid this outcome.”
For more than three years, TikTok has been operating under the looming threat of a nationwide ban. But what was once a GOP-led campaign…
