TikTok lays off 250 employees, shutters its Nashville office

TikTok is laying off 250 employees and closing its Nashville office, which housed some members of TikTok’s content moderation team. The news was first reported by The New York Times.

Zanna Crowley, a spokesperson for the TikTok USDS Joint Venture, confirmed the news, saying that the shuttering was to “streamline our operations and better align our teams for long-term growth.”

“We remain fully committed to providing secure, safe and positive experiences for the 200 million Americans that create, discover and connect with what they love on TikTok,” the spokesperson said.

The cuts come as social media companies rely more on AI to monitor and remove violent or explicit content on their platforms.

The Nashville office, which TikTok leased in 2024, will close on October 5.