Closure of TikTok Vancouver office deals blow to employees, creators

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Former Vancouver-based TikTok staff and content creators say Canada’s decision to shut down the app’s operations over alleged national security risks will throw a wrench in their financial livelihoods.

“It will have minimal impact on security, but will put people out of work in an already challenging job market,” said David FitzGerald, a former recruiter for TikTok in Vancouver.

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Among those potentially impacted are content creators like Abbotsford’s Emmy Raine Curtis, who credits TikTok Canada with launching her influencer career.

“Shutting down the TikTok Canada offices means less access to support for Canadian creators, and fewer job opportunities for people,” said Curtis.

FitzGerald and Curtis’s comments were in response to this week’s news that the Canadian government had ordered TikTok Technology Canada to “wind up” its operations, citing “national security risks” linked to the app and its Chinese parent company, ByteDance. The order follows a review that began last year.

Canadian users will still be able to access the app, but the company’s offices in Vancouver and Toronto will shutter.

However, FitzGerald, who since founded his own recruitment company, believes “any potential security threat is far more likely to stem from the technology itself rather than from a physical office or local team.”

A TikTok spokesperson confirmed the closure of its Canadian offices will result in the loss of hundreds of well-paying local jobs, and that the company plans to fight the federal order in court.

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This year, TikTok expanded its downtown Vancouver offices from a co-working space to an entire floor of the 32-storey office tower at 595 Burrard St., which boasts 16,000 square feet of space.

This growth aligns with TikTok’s 65 career openings in Vancouver, spanning roles in machine learning, software engineering, data science and product management, according to LinkedIn. The majority of the jobs were posted within the past week.

For content creators who regularly visit TikTok’s Vancouver office for support, this news brings concerns of a major setback.

“It’s causing a lot of upset,” said Vancouver-based creator Nadiia Synook, who runs the account Torroooo, with nearly 51,000 followers.

Synook regularly attends networking events and workshops at TikTok’s Vancouver office. She found out about the closure on Wednesday through the media.

“Having offices here is a big plus for creators,” said Synook. “Working online is one thing, but meeting amazing creators from across Canada is something else. It helps us grow by collaborating with each other.”

When Curtis of TikTok’s Itsemraine had a small following in 2023, she said the company invited her to be its digital host of the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia.

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“During that opportunity, TikTok Canada helped me establish brand deals, I signed my first major deal with Powerade during the tournament and was given every resource possible to ensure I could maximize my experience,” she recalled.

In the year since, the Canadian TikToker has grown into a sports personality, amassing over 35,000 digital followers.

“I can’t make it clear enough just how much TikTok, but specifically TikTok Canada, has boosted my career,” Curtis said.

Postmedia News contacted TikTok employees in Vancouver, but many declined to comment, citing a company policy prohibiting them from disclosing information to the media.

“We’ve been reminded of this policy multiple times in the past few days. Therefore, I cannot provide any information directly related to me or allow my name to be used in any way,” one staffer said Friday.

ByteDance is subject to strict Chinese national security laws, which could compel it to share TikTok data with the Chinese government if required. The company has maintained that foreign user data isn’t stored in China.

A Canadian Security Intelligence Service document tabled at the Public Inquiry into Foreign Interference in September revealed that as early as 2022, the agency suspected TikTok could be used by China to monitor foreigners.

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The app was banned from federal government devices in February 2023.

With files from The Canadian Press

sgrochowski@postmedia.com

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