TikTok, the ByteDance-owned social media app has closed down all its offices in India almost three years after being banned. The company has fired entire staff in India and as many as 40 people were given pink slips on Monday.

"We have taken the descision to close our India remote sales support hub, which was put in place at the end of 2020 to provide support to our global and regional sales team. We greatly appreciate these employees and their impact on our company and will ensure they are supported at the difficult time," a TikTok India spokesperson told CNBC-TV18.com.

As per the media reports the employees have been assured nine months of severance pay.

Over national security concerns, TikTok, which had the second largest user base in India, was banned in 2020. Despite losing market share in India, the company still had an office there. Most of the TikTok employees working out of the India office served the Brazilian and Dubai markets. Even though ByteDance tried to reason with the Indian government, it was unable to re-enter the Indian market.

Also read: After India ban, TikTok being questioned by US over user data tracking

Tiktok was banned in India along with 300 other Chinese apps over national security issues.

Also read: Two more US states have banned TikTok from government devices — Here's why

TikTok promoted Sameer Singh earlier this month to lead its global business solutions in North America. 2019 saw Singh join TikTok.

India had a substantial user base for TikTok. It was one of the largest marketplaces outside of China, and in 2019 the 15-second video platform ranked first for Android app downloads in India. People from all walks of life were given work options in addition to using it for enjoyment. Because it was discovered to be keeping the personal information of Indian users, the app was banned. Indian security specialists claimed that the stored data was shared with Chinese government agencies.

Also read: Lockheed Martin, Accenture, TikTok: These tech firms are hiring amid global layoff spree

First Published:Feb 10, 2023 10:10 AM IST