His hearing by a powerful parliamentary committee, while the application belonging to the Chinese group ByteDance risks total ban in the United States, is a first for the 40-year-old businessman, with a discreet personality.

Born in Singapore, Mr. Chew attended the prestigious Hwa Chong School, before flying to Europe to study economics at University College London.

Also in London, he took on the role of banker for Goldman Sachs and also interned at Facebook, before earning an MBA at Harvard Business School.

After several years at investment firm DST, Shou Chew, who is fluent in Mandarin and English, was appointed CFO of Chinese phone giant Xiaomi in 2015.

He joined ByteDance, TikTok's parent company, in March 2021 and quickly took over the app, following the sudden resignation of his predecessor, American Kevin Mayer.

Political pressure

While Chew runs the company from Singapore, according to TikTok, it's unclear exactly what his decision-making power is in relation to ByteDance founder Zhang Yiming and other executives at the parent company.

The White House, the European Commission and the Canadian and British governments have banned their officials from using the short, viral video platform, which is popular among young people.

The White House has hinted that if TikTok — which exceeds 150 million monthly users in the U.S. — remained in ByteDance's fold, it would be banned.

Many regulators suspect the app of giving Beijing access to user data, which it has always denied. And elected officials also fear that the app could serve as a Trojan horse for the Chinese Communist Party to manipulate public opinion.

"Let me state unequivocally: ByteDance is not an agent of China or any other country," Chew is expected to tell lawmakers in the U.S. Congress, according to comments made public ahead of the hearing.

"TikTok has never shared or received a request to share data from U.S. users with the Chinese government. TikTok would also not honor such a request if it was made, "should defend the boss of TikTok.

Low profile

Shou Chew himself is not a big TikTok user: he has posted about 20 videos since last year and has only nearly 000,<> followers.

On his account, some videos show him attending the Superbowl halftime show or dancing with singer Ciarail, while he shares in other excerpts his visit to the British Museum or his costume worn on Halloween.

The TikTok executive is married to Vivian Kao, CEO of an investment firm, a former Harvard Business School classmate with whom he began exchanging by email in 2008, shortly after their admission.

TikTok boss Shou Zi Chew makes a statement to the press ahead of his hearing by the US Congress, March 23, 2023 in Washington © OLIVIER DOULIERY / AFP

According to an article published on the school's website, they have two children and are so close that they "often finish each other's sentences."

Like most men in Singapore, Mr Chew completed his military service in his youth, with such success that he was appointed an officer, according to the Straits Times newspaper.

Under Singapore law, this means that he is required to remain an army reservist until the age of 50, ten years older than men of other ranks.

Its application has already surpassed YouTube, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook in "time spent" on it by American adults, and is now hot on the heels of Netflix.

© 2023 AFP