As TikTok Faces Ban Bill, Investors Distance Themselves From App

When the Trump administration tried to ban TikTok in 2020, investors in its parent, ByteDance, mobilized to support the app. Now, as a bill to force a ban or sale of TikTok winds its way through Congress, the company is mostly on its own.

With the possible exception of Susquehanna International Group principal Jeff Yass, a Republican donor and big ByteDance shareholder, ByteDance’s U.S. investors are mostly sitting on the sidelines quietly. They don’t see any reason to speak out on such a polarizing issue, and some are afraid they’ll be perceived as disloyal to the U.S. if they come out in support of TikTok, say investors and a political consultant in Washington who has dealt with venture capital firms.