TikTok ousted its Nick Tran, its global head of marketing, The Information reported. The reason for his departure was not made clear.
Tran, who has been at TikTok since mid-2020, was known for his out-of-the-box ideas. He announced creator NFTs in September, but most were never released. TikTok Kitchens, a ghost-kitchen concept which would serve viral recipes, was first reported in late December; its website still says it is "coming soon." One executive said on a call with the marketing team earlier this month that the app is "not in the restaurant business and we shouldn’t pretend to be," The New York Post reported. The executive reportedly called Tran's campaigns “stunt marketing."
“We can confirm that Nick Tran is no longer with TikTok and we wish him well in his future endeavors,” a TikTok spokesperson told the Post.
Vanessa Pappas, TikTok's global COO, will take over Tran's duties until his position is filled.