ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, is facing backlash from employees impacted by its latest round of layoffs, with one laid-off staffer exposed the toxic culture in the company. “They sent me a ChatGPT email,” the employee said, expressing shock at the impersonal nature of the layoff notification. The worker, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to fear of retaliation, said they had worked grueling late hours for global meetings and were frequently assigned last-minute “critical” projects with no clear strategy or explanation.
“It didn’t matter how much you gave, the company never gave back,” they said. “I was just another headcount they could cut and they did it with a bot.”
The employee also raised serious concerns about ByteDance’s internal work culture, describing it as “toxic and chaotic.” Among the grievances were allegations of workplace discrimination, unsanitary and insufficient bathroom facilities, and lax protocols surrounding the handling of personally identifiable information (PII) of American users, an issue that has long been under scrutiny by U.S. lawmakers.
The abrupt layoffs have left many with unanswered questions about what comes next. “There’s been no clarity on severance or next steps,” the employee said. “Are we supposed to just wait for someone to email us personally now? Can we negotiate? No one knows.”
‘That app is a cancer for society’
The internet quickly responded to the post. A user said, “It’s for the best. That app is a cancer for society. It’s making an entire generation of brainwashed idiots with no attention span.” “They’re giving 2 months of severance and following n+ 1 formula, you can’t negotiate it. And they’re going to set up a meeting with you to go over questions you may have,” added a netizen. ““Latest layoff” How many rounds have you guys gone through recently? Is it large numbers or targeted? All I hear about Tiktok/Bytedance is that they are constantly hiring and it’s a toxic 996 culture. We all knew about violating PII and discrimination. What’s the deal with the bathroom?,” questioned a user. “Never sell your soul to a company. Unless your family will be killed by the CCP,” claimed another.
