TikTok CEO Shou Chew and Google CEO Sundar Pichai are expected to attend President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration, two sources familiar with the matter told CBS News.
The news comes as a law banning TikTok, which is owned by Chinese firm ByteDance, is set to go into effect on Jan. 19. The Supreme Court is weighing the legality of the law, but appeared to be ready to uphold it after arguments last week.
The future of TikTok remains unclear. While the app could go dark as soon as Jan. 19, the Justice Department is figuring out how it will enforce the law.
The New York Times first reported the news about the inauguration.
Chew met with Trump in December, with Trump saying ahead of that meeting that he had a “warm spot in my heart for TikTok.” During his first term, Trump had attempted to ban the app.
President Biden used a portion of his farewell address on Wednesday night to warn about the incoming “tech industrial complex,” which he said gives him “great concern.”
“Americans are being buried under an avalanche of misinformation and disinformation enabling the abuse of power,” Mr. Biden said. “The free press is crumbling. Errors are disappearing. Social media is giving up on fact checking. The truth is smothered by lies told for power and for profit.” And meanwhile, he added, “artificial intelligence is most consequential technology of our time, perhaps of all time.
