'TikTok Fired Me with a ChatGPT Message': Ex-Employee Slams Company's Brutal, Inhuman Culture

Amid the ongoing controversy surrounding layoffs at TikTok's parent company, ByteDance, employees are stepping forward to openly criticise what they describe as a toxic work environment within the China-based firm.

One former employee, for instance, shared on social media that TikTok informed him of his dismissal via an AI-generated email. This individual, who chose to remain anonymous, posted on the professional social media platform Blind, revealing that despite consistently working late to complete tasks, TikTok simply sent a 'ChatGPT email' to inform him of his dismissal.

However, TikTok has yet to issue an official statement on the precise number of individuals impacted by this latest wave of layoffs.

The AI Pink Slip: A New Low?

'I'm impacted in the latest Bytedance/TikTok layoff. I worked my ass off, staying up late for late night meetings, delivering on always random critical shit projects that don't make sense. Then they sent me a ChatGPT email,' he said.

The employee expressed a significant lack of clarity regarding the subsequent steps for those who had been laid off. He questioned, 'What I want to know is, what's the next process? Will they literally reach out to everyone that's laid off to talk about the next step via personal email? Can we negotiate on severance?'

Beyond his own dismissal, the employee also voiced significant concerns about ByteDance's internal operations, characterising its work culture as 'toxic and chaotic.'

A Culture Under Fire

His complaints included allegations of discrimination in the workplace, inadequate and unsanitary bathroom facilities, and a worrying lack of stringent procedures for handling American users' personally identifiable information (PII). This issue has long drawn scrutiny from US lawmakers.

'I know so much toxic culture problems that the Congress and other public would love to hear about discriminations, disgusting bathroom usage, and how incompetently they still deal with personally identifiable information of American citizens,' the employee said.

Public Reactions to the Firings

The internet quickly reacted to the post, with one user commenting, 'It's for the best. That app is a cancer for society. It's making an entire generation of brainwashed idiots with no attention span.'

Another netizen added, 'They're giving 2 months of severance and following n+ 1 formula, you can't negotiate it. And they're going to set up a meeting with you to go over questions you may have.'

The sudden layoffs have left many employees uncertain about their future. 'There's been no clarity on severance or next steps,' the employee revealed, expressing a widespread lack of information. 'Are we supposed to just wait for someone to email us personally now? Can we negotiate? No one knows.'

The controversy-plagued video-sharing platform TikTok has initiated its third round of layoffs in the US since April, reportedly affecting staff within its US e-commerce division, TikTok Shop, as per a Bloomberg report on Thursday.

TikTok's Official Stance and Shop's Struggles

'As the TikTok Shop business evolves, we regularly review our operations to ensure long-term success,' a spokesperson for the video-sharing app was quoted as saying in a statement on Wednesday. 'We've made the difficult decision to adjust parts of our team to better align with strategic priorities,' the spokesperson added.

In recent months, TikTok Shop's US operations have undergone several adjustments, following a year where the division did not meet its internal sales objectives. Bloomberg previously reported that TikTok Shop had already cut some positions in April, followed by another round of reductions in May.