TikTok Plans Seattle Beachhead for Shopping Expansion

As TikTok seeks to compete with Amazon, it’s planting a flag in the e-commerce giant’s backyard.

The video app company is using the Seattle area as the base for an aggressive expansion into online shopping, the company confirmed. TikTok is offering existing employees in other TikTok offices, such as Los Angeles and New York City, a relocation package worth tens of thousands of dollars, according to three people with knowledge of the situation. It’s requiring all new U.S. e-commerce hires to be based there, according to two of the people. Senior leaders such as Bob Kang, the top shopping executive at TikTok-parent ByteDance, have been spending more time in the Seattle area.