TikTok confirms Indonesia layoffs as global restructuring continues

TikTok has confirmed that it has laid off employees in Indonesia as part of an organisational restructuring, although the company has not disclosed the number of affected staff or the business units involved, as per media reports.

The confirmation comes after Indonesian tech community platform Ecommurz claimed that ByteDance, TikTok's parent company, had reportedly cut around 90% of Tokopedia's workforce. 

TikTok has not commented on the reported figure.

“We are realigning our R&D organization toward areas that can drive sustainable long-term growth for our business, as well as for the creator and seller communities on our platform. This was not an easy decision, and our focus is on supporting colleagues affected by the transition,” TikTok said in a statement sent to Tech in Asia.

Post-merger changes

The latest workforce reduction follows TikTok's acquisition of a 75% stake in Tokopedia in December 2023, which led to the merger of the two companies.

The integration has been closely watched by Indonesia's e-commerce sector. Last year, Tech in Asia reported growing dissatisfaction among sellers, with many arguing that Tokopedia had lost its identity as a homegrown marketplace following the merger.

Broader job cuts

The Indonesia layoffs come as TikTok continues to reshape its global operations. Earlier on Wednesday, Bloomberg reported that the company is also cutting around 300 jobs in Dublin, Ireland.

The latest moves suggest ByteDance is streamlining operations across multiple markets as it focuses investment on areas expected to support long-term growth, while continuing to strengthen its creator and seller ecosystem.