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TikTok CEO Shou Chew on Its Future — and What Makes Its Algorithm Different | Live at TED2023

TED

2.0M Views . 2023-04-21

TikTok CEO Shou Chew dives into how the trend-setting video app and cultural phenomenon works — from what distinguishes its algorithm and drives virality to the challenges of content moderation and digital addiction. In a wide-ranging conversation with head of TED Chris Anderson, he tells stories about the TikTok creators he loves and digs into thorny issues like data privacy and government manipulation — as well as speaking personally about his commitment to inspiring creativity and building community. If you love watching TED Talks like this one, become a TED Member to support our mission of spreading ideas: https://ted.com/membership Follow TED! Twitter: https://twitter.com/TEDTalks Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ted Facebook: https://facebook.com/TED LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ted-conferences TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tedtoks The TED Talks channel features talks, performances and original series from the world's leading thinkers and doers. Subscribe to our channel for videos on Technology, Entertainment and Design — plus science, business, global issues, the arts and more. Visit https://TED.com to get our entire library of TED Talks, transcripts, translations, personalized talk recommendations and more. Watch more: https://go.ted.com/shouchew https://youtu.be/7zC8-06198g TED's videos may be used for non-commercial purposes under a Creative Commons License, Attribution–Non Commercial–No Derivatives (or the CC BY – NC – ND 4.0 International) and in accordance with our TED Talks Usage Policy: https://www.ted.com/about/our-organization/our-policies-terms/ted-talks-usage-policy. For more information on using TED for commercial purposes (e.g. employee learning, in a film or online course), please submit a Media Request at https://media-requests.ted.com #TED #TEDTalks #tiktok

Shou Chew, CEO of TikTok, discusses the company's origins and mission. TikTok was founded on the idea of recommending content based on user interests rather than social connections, a shift from the social graph-focused approach of the time. Chew describes the company's mission as inspiring creativity and bringing joy, guiding product development towards discovery, creation, and connection.

TikTok
Mission
Discovery
Creation
Connection

  • Shou Chew, CEO of TikTok, explains the origin of the platform as a recommendation system that prioritizes content users like over users they know, a departure from the social graph-based approach prevalent 10 years ago.
  • Chew highlights the company's mission to "inspire creativity and bring joy" and emphasizes its three core values: providing a window for users to discover new content, a canvas for them to create, and bridges for them to connect with others.

Insights from the YouTube Video Clip:

1. TikTok's Unique Rise: Beyond the Social Graph

This clip reveals that TikTok's rapid growth wasn't simply due to following the established "social graph" model of social media. Instead, it pivoted to a novel approach, focusing on recommending content users would like, rather than solely connecting them with people they already knew. This insight highlights the company's early foresight and ability to tap into a new, potentially more engaging, model of user engagement.

2. The Power of Algorithmic Surprise

The interviewee emphasizes the importance of "discovery" within TikTok's ecosystem. He acknowledges that the platform's success stems from its ability

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