ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, announced plans to reduce staff at its Indonesian division following its acquisition of a local e-commerce firm and integration with TikTok operations. A spokesperson confirmed on Friday that layoffs would occur but did not specify the exact number of employees affected. Earlier reports from Bloomberg suggested around 450 jobs would be cut.
In January, ByteDance finalized a deal to acquire a controlling interest in Tokopedia, an Indonesian e-commerce platform previously owned by the GoTo group. Nuraini Razak, a spokesperson for ByteDance, stated to Reuters that the company would be implementing necessary adjustments due to the consolidation of TikTok and Tokopedia operations.
“We have identified opportunities to strengthen our organizational structure and better align our teams with our corporate objectives,” Razak explained. She added that ByteDance is committed to supporting affected employees during this transition period.
Previously, ByteDance had operated its own e-commerce services in Indonesia through the TikTok platform. However, this initiative was discontinued following Indonesian regulations prohibiting social media apps from functioning as e-commerce platforms.
