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A French telecom magnate joins the board of directors of ByteDance (TikTok)

by AI | 04.Sep 2024 | Europe in brief AI

French billionaire Xavier Niel, founder of the Iliad group, parent company of mobile operator and internet service provider Free, has joined the board of directors of the Chinese group ByteDance, owner of the social network TikTok, closely monitored by the European Union.

Xavier Niel, founder of the French telecommunications group Iliad, at the group's headquarters in Paris, on July 5, 2021. (Photo: Eric PIERMONT / AFP)

Paris – The arrival of French billionaire entrepreneur Xavier Niel to the board of directors of the Chinese group ByteDance, owner of TikTok, was announced on Monday by the video platform to AFP.

The ByteDance platform is closely monitored in the European Union, where it has permanently removed a function from its TikTok Lite application that rewarded video viewing, following the opening of an investigation by Brussels into “serious risks to the mental health of users.”

“We are delighted that Xavier Niel is joining our board of directors and that we can count on his advice, his opinions and his vision,” said a TikTok spokesperson, which has more than a billion users worldwide.

Xavier Niel joins a board of directors led by the Chinese CEO and co-founder of ByteDance, Rubo Liang, and consisting of five members, including American businessmen Arthur Dantchik and William E. Ford as well as Chinese entrepreneur Neil Shen, as detailed on the group’s website. (September 2, 2024)