• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Jeff Bezos wants the bottom half of earners to pay zero income tax—he says nurses making just $75K should save $12K a year

2

Indeed chief economist says we’re entering an era of ‘great mismatch’ thanks to a generational imbalance of workers

3

Microsoft reports are exposing AI's real cost problem: Using the tech is more expensive than paying human employees

1

Jeff Bezos wants the bottom half of earners to pay zero income tax—he says nurses making just $75K should save $12K a year

2

Indeed chief economist says we’re entering an era of ‘great mismatch’ thanks to a generational imbalance of workers

3

Microsoft reports are exposing AI's real cost problem: Using the tech is more expensive than paying human employees
PoliticsDonald Trump

TikTok’s CEO is planning to attend Trump’s inauguration. He’ll see Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, and Jeff Bezos 

By
Alena Botros
Alena Botros
Former staff writer
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Alena Botros
Alena Botros
Former staff writer
Down Arrow Button Icon
January 16, 2025, 1:13 PM ET
Shou Zi Chew.
Shou Zi Chew.Kent Nishimura/Bloomberg via Getty Images
  • TikTok chief executive Shou Zi Chew could have a prominent spot for president-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration on Monday, according to the New York Times. Trump once sought to ban the app, but now he wants to save it. 

TikTok chief executive Shou Zi Chew is planning to attend president-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration on Monday, a day after a ban on the wildly popular ByteDance owned app could take effect, according to the New York Times, which cited people familiar with the matter. Multiple outlets such as the Washington Post and Wall Street Journal have since reported his planned attendance. A source familiar with the planning confirmed to Fortune that Chew will be there.

Recommended Video

If he indeed attends, Chew will have a reserved spot where family and former presidents typically sit along with the three richest men: Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, and Jeff Bezos, whose attendance was previously reported by NBC. 

TikTok did not immediately respond to Fortune’s requests for comment.

If all goes as planned, it’ll be a reunion for the titans of tech. Chew once worked for Zuckerberg as an intern at Facebook before he became the Meta chief executive’s competition. Between the tech moguls, you pretty much have three social media empires: TikTok, Meta (so Facebook and Instagram), and X. There’s also Trump’s Truth Social media platform. 

Fortune reported on the tensions of the past between the former and future president and the billionaires that’ll reportedly be near him during his inauguration. Trump once called Bezos, the founder of Amazon and owner of the Washington Post, “Jeff Bozo.” And he once threatened to send Zuckerberg to prison for life. Musk, who has recently become Trump’s right-hand man, has also beefed with Zuckerberg and Bezos, from a cage match that never happened, to competition between his SpaceX and Bezos’s Blue Origin. But Musk and Bezos exchanged kind regards today on X. Bezos wished Musk and the SpaceX team good luck, and Musk applauded Bezos and the Blue Origin team.

Trump has previously gone after Chew’s app, too. During his first term, Trump thought TikTok, which is owned by Chinese company ByteDance, was a threat to national security. He wanted to ban the app, but the ban didn’t materialize. Although, it could in a matter of days—only now, it appears Trump wants to save it. “I have a warm spot in my heart for TikTok,” Trump recently said. 

Last year, Congress passed a law requiring ByteDance to sell TikTok to a non-Chinese company or be banned in the United States. President Biden signed it, and the Supreme Court is set to rule on it by January 19. 

The Washington Post reported today, citing people familiar, that Trump is considering an executive order once he’s sworn in that would suspend the enforcement of the TikTok ban-or-sale law for two to three months. It would buy his administration more time to find a solution. Not to mention, his pick for national security adviser Mike Waltz on Wednesday said Trump is looking for ways to “preserve” TikTok.

“If the Supreme Court comes out with a ruling in favor of the law, President Trump has been very clear: Number one, TikTok is a great platform that many Americans use and has been great for his campaign and getting his message out. But number two, he’s going to protect their data,” Waltz said. 

“He’s a deal maker. I don’t want to get ahead of our executive orders, but we’re going to create this space to put that deal in place.” 

Subscribe to Fortune Gulf Brief. Every Tuesday, this new newsletter will deliver clear-eyed, authoritative intelligence on the deals, decisions, policies, and power shifts shaping one of the world’s most consequential regions, written for the people who need to act on it. Sign up here.
About the Author
By Alena BotrosFormer staff writer
LinkedIn iconTwitter icon

Alena Botros is a former reporter at Fortune, where she primarily covered real estate.

See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Politics

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Politics

t
PoliticsCongress
Rebellious Republicans find voice in Trump apostate Thom Tillis: ‘stupid on stilts’ and a ‘payout for punks’
By Lisa Mascaro, Joey Cappelletti and The Associated PressMay 23, 2026
26 minutes ago
mitch
PoliticsWhite House
Even Mitch McConnell is mortified by Trump’s $1.8 billion ‘slush fund to pay people who assault cops’
By Eric Tucker, Alanna Durkin Richer and The Associated PressMay 23, 2026
49 minutes ago
t
PoliticsWhite House
Trump was supposed to talk about the economy. Instead he asked why toiletries are locked up in pharmacies
By Nick Lichtenberg, Seung Min Kim, Darlene Superville and The Associated PressMay 23, 2026
1 hour ago
trump
North AmericaWhite House
4 ways Trump is following the Venezuela playbook with Cuba, and one where he isn’t
By Ben Finley, Matthew Lee, Farnoush Amiri, Konstantin Toropin and The Associated PressMay 23, 2026
1 hour ago
w
BankingFederal Reserve
Trump on new Fed Chair Kevin Warsh: ‘Do your own thing’ but don’t lose your way like Jerome Powell did
By Will Weissert, Michelle L. Price and The Associated PressMay 23, 2026
1 hour ago
rabb
PoliticsElections
How a ‘proud troublemaker’ Democratic socialist beat the system in Philadelphia by 15 points
By Marc Levy and The Associated PressMay 23, 2026
1 hour ago

Most Popular

Jeff Bezos wants the bottom half of earners to pay zero income tax—he says nurses making just $75K should save $12K a year
Success
Jeff Bezos wants the bottom half of earners to pay zero income tax—he says nurses making just $75K should save $12K a year
By Preston ForeMay 21, 2026
2 days ago
Indeed chief economist says we’re entering an era of ‘great mismatch’ thanks to a generational imbalance of workers
Success
Indeed chief economist says we’re entering an era of ‘great mismatch’ thanks to a generational imbalance of workers
By Emma BurleighMay 22, 2026
1 day ago
Microsoft reports are exposing AI's real cost problem: Using the tech is more expensive than paying human employees
AI
Microsoft reports are exposing AI's real cost problem: Using the tech is more expensive than paying human employees
By Jake AngeloMay 22, 2026
23 hours ago
Apple’s Steve Wozniak says he cofounded the tech giant after 5 rejections from HP—not to ‘make money.’ For years, his paycheck was just $50
Success
Apple’s Steve Wozniak says he cofounded the tech giant after 5 rejections from HP—not to ‘make money.’ For years, his paycheck was just $50
By Preston ForeMay 22, 2026
1 day ago
Despite a $500 million net worth, Shaq just finished his fourth degree. He warns graduates: 'Your character will take you further than your resume'
Success
Despite a $500 million net worth, Shaq just finished his fourth degree. He warns graduates: 'Your character will take you further than your resume'
By Preston ForeMay 20, 2026
3 days ago
Bolt CEO says he let go of his entire HR team for creating problems that didn’t exist: ‘Those problems disappeared when I let them go’ 
Workplace Culture
Bolt CEO says he let go of his entire HR team for creating problems that didn’t exist: ‘Those problems disappeared when I let them go’ 
By Preston ForeMay 19, 2026
4 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.