Worst Tech Company with Chinese nepotism - Operations Manager TikTok Employee Review

2.0
26 Nov 2024
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

+ Decent salary, but don't expect any annual salary increases + Fast product development

Cons

- Chinese guanxi is prevalent at TikTok. Individuals with strong connections to Chinese leaders and fluency in Chinese enjoy significantly more opportunities. Many internal roles are filled informally by managers selecting their preferred colleagues. - Colleagues in China often work until midnight or later (996), setting an intense working culture for the entire company. - There is little alignment between management and business objectives. Teams frequently work on similar or competing products, leading to inefficiency. - The travel policy is subpar, with employees expected to stay in 3-star hotels that causes offices like New York to frequently have bed bug issues. Some employees can travel constantly and attend high-end conferences and resorts. No global offsites or efforts to bring teams together. - Frequent reorganizations occur, approximately every 6 to 9 months. Over three years, I had four different managers. - HR often “manages out” teams, typically just before the performance cycle, seemingly to avoid bonuses and reviews. Employees sometimes disappear without explanation, and there is no official communication about team changes or reorganizations.

Explore other reviews about TikTok

5.0
9 Jul 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Great opportunity to grow with social leading platform

Cons

Internal growth is really hard

2.0
15 Jun 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Pay is level with industry and actual work is somewhat interesting depending on the team you're on

Cons

In my experience, career growth can feel very limited if you are not part of the dominant internal language and cultural network. A significant amount of important context, communication, and decision-making happens in Chinese, which can make non-Chinese-speaking employees feel excluded from key conversations and promotion opportunities. The environment did not feel as inclusive as it should be for a global company. Advancement often felt less tied to performance and more tied to whether you were connected to the right groups or able to operate fluently within the Chinese-speaking side of the organization. Over time, it felt like non-Chinese-speaking employees had fewer long-term career paths and were at risk of being replaced by people who could better fit that internal operating model. Things also move very slowly because employees are often given access only to the bare minimum needed to do their jobs. There is a heavy push toward using AI tools, but in practice it can make it harder to get help from real people. Instead of getting quick support, you often have to spend time going through AI bots or internal tools before getting a useful answer.

1
See reviews by: Helpful|Rating|Date|All