TikTok ad chief steps down ahead of 5 April ban

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Blake Chandlee (pictured), president of global business solutions at TikTok, has stepped down as part of a reorganisation. His resignation is TikTok's latest management change ahead of the app's looming ban on 5 April.

According to Bloomberg, an internal memo stated that Chandlee, who oversaw advertising sales and marketing on a global scale, is moving into an advisory role at the company. His global and business solutions teams will reportedly be merged with the global monetisation product technology team from 1 April.

Before Chandlee's resignation, at least eight other executives have reportedly left TikTok or announced their departures since the start of 2025, including music chief Ole Obermann.

Don't miss: TikTok is back online: All you need to know about its US ban rollercoaster

In the memo, Chandlee reportedly said that TikTok experienced the fastest growing ad sales globally aside from Douyin, TikTok's sister platform in China. He added that the platform is aiming for a 50% growth in advertisements this year.

According to his LinkedIn, Chandlee first joined TikTok in 2019. Prior to that, he spent 12 years at Facebook where he held several positions, including vice president and commercial director for various regions and vice president of global partnerships.

MARKETING-INTERACTIVE has reached out to TikTok for more information.

Chandlee's departure comes at a crucial moment for TikTok, as the app navigates efforts to establish its presence in the US ahead of a potential second ban in April. In a report by USA Today, US president Donald Trump hinted to progress in TikTok's sale after extending the ban deadline for 75 days, stating that the administration is currently working with four different groups that are interested in purchasing the platform.

Back in January, TikTok's parent company ByteDance was reportedly exploring options to keep TikTok alive in the US without selling the platform in the country. The Chinese company was reportedly looking into a deal to ensure the social media giant complies with US legislation, said Bill Ford, General Atlantic chief executive officer and ByteDance board member yesterday at the World Economic Forum.

On 18 January, US users were shut out of TikTok, with the app displaying a message that its services were "temporarily unavailable", reported The Verge at the time. However, the platform's services were restored on 19 January.

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