Inside TikTok’s Grueling US Office Culture: High Pressure, Long Hours, and Management Secrets

In an internal memo released when Dylan Juhnke left, he noted that TikTok treats its employees in a way that starkly contradicts the happy image the platform projects.

Employees describe a strict, high‑expectation management style inherited from other large tech firms, emphasizing efficiency, secrecy, and relentless pressure—traits rarely seen elsewhere in the industry.

Since its launch six years ago, TikTok has become the most downloaded app across categories. By mid‑2020 the U.S. division had about 1,500 staff, a number the company aims to grow to 10,000, focusing on adapting China‑developed products for the American market and expanding its lucrative ad business.

Workers report chronic sleep deprivation, weekend overtime, and an average of 85 hours of meetings per week. Personal accounts describe severe weight fluctuations, anxiety, and even health emergencies caused by the relentless schedule.

The company’s management philosophy borrows from Amazon, with leaders urging staff to “always be Day 1” and posting slogans such as “Transparency and Clarity” on office walls, which become informal performance metrics.

TikTok claims to foster a transparent, fair culture and has introduced policies like encouraging employees to mute internal messaging after hours and to schedule dedicated break times, though senior leaders often ignore these schedules.

Compensation includes Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) granted only to employees who receive high performance scores in two consecutive reviews, creating confusion and disappointment among many staff.

Organizational structure is deliberately opaque; the company does not provide org charts, leading to confusion about who to contact across teams, especially between the New York and California offices.

Efforts to improve work‑life balance—such as muting notifications, setting meeting language to English when not all participants speak Chinese, and discouraging after‑hours messages—have had limited impact, and turnover remains high as employees struggle with the intense, cross‑regional work culture.