Two former workers of video-sharing platform TikTok, who are Black, have filed a federal class action complaint alleging racial discrimination and subsequent termination when they reported the issue to human resources.
In their complaint to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Nnete Matima and Joël Carter assert that they faced unfair treatment compared to their white colleagues at TikTok. TikTok, which is owned by Chinese tech company ByteDance, boasts over 150 million users in the United States.
“When I brought up the fact that my managers were discriminating against me, TikTok retaliated in various ways. My managers even went as far as calling me a ‘Black Snake,’ and then terminated my employment. It was an absolute nightmare,” said Matima, who was a business development representative, in a statement shared with The Hill by attorney Peter Romer-Friedman.
Carter, who held the position of policy manager, shared a similar account.
“TikTok claims that its mission is to inspire creativity and bring joy. However, within its own workforce, TikTok creates an environment of fear and silence. Furthermore, TikTok’s leadership prioritizes growth at any cost, even at the expense of discriminating against and retaliating towards Black professionals like me,” he stated through Romer-Friedman’s representative.
In the complaint, Romer-Friedman, a principal and founder of Peter Romer-Friedman Law PLLC, details how the duo initially exhausted internal complaints through TikTok’s human resources department and management before resorting to filing a federal claim.
“Most employers encourage their employees to report discrimination. However, when employees gather the courage to file an internal discrimination complaint, they often face blatant retaliation and the risk of losing their jobs,” Romer-Friedman said in a statement. “Every time an employer fires an employee for filing a discrimination complaint, it sends a clear message to all employees that there will be severe consequences if they stand up for their civil rights.”
A spokesperson for TikTok told The Hill in a statement that the company places great importance on diversity.
“We take our employees’ concerns very seriously, and we have robust policies in place that strictly prohibit discrimination, harassment, and retaliation within the workplace,” the spokesperson stated. “As an organization, we have an exceptional track record of promoting diversity and inclusion.”
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