Where in The World is TikTok?

TikTok is a truly global company that works across borders and markets. With over one hundred offices that cover many different functions, teammates have opportunities to transfer between locations as their careers progress. The TikTok Mobility team helps fully support employees when they change roles, teams – and even countries! We spoke to Arief Kusuma, Bahar Bozdogan, Maayan Kotler, and Rafael Moreira de Lima about their journeys moving from one country to another for their work at TikTok, and the growth opportunities that resulted.

Rafael Moreira de Lima had already been with TikTok as a Senior Business Partnership Manager for the Brazilian market for a year and a half when he got an opportunity to transfer from the Sao Paolo office to the Miami office. The new role comprised managing partnerships across Latin America, and was a perfect opportunity to aim for the highest, a company value that he believes in strongly.

"It's not just about applying for a position and waiting to be transferred. It's about having the freedom to make decisions about how you'd like to shape your career and seeking challenges that get you to that next step and level of responsibility." He says. "Only then can we create top-notch products and user experiences."

When he took on his new, expanded role, he and his wife were also expecting their first child. What might have been a stressful period of moving was instead supported fully by TikTok, who assisted in the logistics and financial aid of moving and working in a new country. "The company really helps you take these opportunities to grow."

Bahar Bozdogan, who transferred from London to New York, adds that TikTok's global scope benefits not only the growth of the individual, but the growth of whole teams. In her first year at the company, she was promoted to a lead role managing product marketing, and helped advertisers on TikTok measure the effectiveness of their work and reach the right audience.

"I was in Europe, but working very closely with my teammates in San Francisco and New York, to create scope for real, global impact." Due to the increasingly global nature of the company, Bozdoga felt that moving to the United States to continue to expand the team's work was "the next natural step."

Maayan Kolter, who moved from Tel Aviv to Singapore with her three children, says that while many people may be apprehensive about making a big change in both their career and their personal lives, TikTok makes these opportunities "thrilling".

"The prospect of being at the forefront of this innovative venture within TikTok was incredibly motivating," she says of her work creating partnerships with gaming clients for the Global Business Solutions team. "The team was part of a brand new division, and I wanted to embrace the challenge and make the move. Not only were there opportunities professionally, but the opportunity to continue my work AND explore a new city, immerse ourselves in a different culture, has been a true adventure."

While the moves were not without their challenges – all employees cite adjusting to the differences in weather, food, and culture as an ongoing process – they agree working in a multicultural company without borders, as well as the ease with which they made the change, is a career experience they wouldn't have gotten at another company.

"The size of added business is just ten times bigger, when your work becomes global," Bozdogan says. "It's an amazing opportunity to achieve what you couldn't in a smaller company." She cites the concept of constant iteration, saying teams across TikTok are improving and adapting processes on a rolling basis, based on feedback from users, all while staying humble and listening. Thanks to the size of the user base, TikTok receives valuable feedback every day. "We have such a huge, borderless pool of insights."

"I work with people from different parts of the world on projects every day," says Kusuma. "There is no limit or geographical boundaries that hinder people from achieving communal goals."

"Roles at TikTok require a global mindset; understanding the dynamics of the industry, market dynamics, and the complexity of managing diverse teams," says Kolter. "When you work in multiple places and roles, you get to immerse yourself in learning and explore all aspects of the product, you can take the work to the next level."

TikTok is hiring! Explore positions open at all our offices – you never know where in the world your career at TikTok could take you!