TikTok bid deliberations: Platform ramps up Washington operations as deadline looms

ByteDance-owned company is growing its presence in US capital

Inside Washington, the very city that's the source of a possible TikTok ban, the company maintains an office presence. Cody Combs / The National

TikTok is facing a deadline on Saturday that could jeopardise its operations in the US, but the company appears to be undeterred and is growing its footprint in Washington – the city at the centre of the platform's angst.

According to TikTok's careers website, there are 43 job openings in the US capital, including global trust associate, federal government affairs manager, head of property operations, head of child safety operations, privacy analyst, legal response, privacy risk and lead for deceptive behaviours policy.

“We are looking for a talented, driven and experienced government relations professional to support our growing Federal Government Affairs team,” reads a job description.

TikTok moved into the Signal House office building in Washington in 2022, and later that year agreed to lease another floor to accommodate the social platform's rise in popularity. Cody Combs / The National

Another career description reads: “Our focus is on providing oversight and protection of the TikTok platform and US user data, so millions of Americans can continue turning to TikTok to learn something new.”

The ByteDance-owned company has maintained a physical presence in Washington since 2022 – well before its future in the US came into doubt – when it signed a lease on a property near Washington's Union Market.

Later that year, TikTok agreed to lease an additional floor in the property, according to real estate news platform Costar.

According to the platform's LinkedIn page, TikTok employs about 10,000 people around the world.

TikTok has also ramped up an advertising campaign – especially in Washington – as it tries to win the hearts and minds of Americans through TV, billboard and web commercials showing the positive economic impact the platform has had on small US businesses.

“Seven million US businesses rely on TikTok to compete,” says a narrator in one of TikTok’s TV advertisements, showing people working in various capacities using the platform.

A recent Pew Research Centre poll showed that the campaign seems to be working, with fewer Americans now in favour of banning the platform compared to 2023.

Amid security concerns around US data privacy and with Congress worried about TikTok potentially being a national security risk due to ByteDance's Chinese ownership, it is once again in a race against the clock to either find a buyer based in the US or be banned.

Despite the looming deadline, ByteDance has not shown any sign that it will completely divest from TikTok – which is what the bipartisan legislation passed last year would require.

The National has reached out to TikTok's Washington office for comment.

TikTok's Washington office is located in a 228,000-square-foot building called Signal House, located in Washington's Union Market district. Photo: Cody Combs

On Wednesday, President Donald Trump was expected to meet key administration officials, including Vice President JD Vance, to consider an offer for TikTok, Bloomberg and CBS News reported.

According to a letter sent by a group of Democratic senators to Mr Trump concerning TikTok's future, US tech giant Oracle is mentioned as being one of the companies that could take over some of the responsibility for operating the platform, with ByteDance allowed to retain some ownership.

Senators Ed Markey, Chris Van Hollen and Cory Booker have indicated that ByteDance maintaining partial ownership would not satisfy the terms of the legislation.

“If you intend to proceed with the reported Oracle deal, we urge you to work with Congress to propose modifications to the Protecting Americans’ Data from Foreign Adversaries Act to ensure that any Oracle deal prevents TikTok from going dark,” they wrote.

They also expressed disappointment that Mr Trump bypassed Congress with his decision to extend ByteDance's deadline for selling TikTok with an executive order shortly after his inauguration.

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