A former TikTok executive filed a lawsuit against the app and its parent company ByteDance on Thursday, alleging discrimination and retaliation. Katie Puris, who was TikTok's global head of brand and creative, said in a court filing that she suffered multiple forms of discrimination and was "ultimately unlawfully fired."
Puris is seeking "declaratory, injunctive and equitable relief as well as monetary damages." Puris' lawyers said in a complaint filed in a New York federal court that she "suffered disparate treatment and was ultimately unlawfully fired because Zhang Lidong (Chairman of ByteDance) and other company executives believed that Ms. Puris lacked the meekness particularly needed by female employees."
The plaintiff also claimed that Zhang had "stereotypical views on how women should behave" and that Puris "did not fit into this stereotypical gender model." The attorneys also allege that the company and its parent company failed to respond appropriately when Puris reported she had been sexually harassed at an off-site TikTok event, "leading Ms. Puris to choose between her own safety and her job opportunities." TikTok and ByteDance also failed to take any corrective action after she reported the alleged "discriminatory treatment and sexual harassment."
"As a woman who started my career in 1995, I was taught that to succeed, I had to remain silent. Sexism and sexual harassment were commonplace, but speaking out was suicidal. Wisdom taught me that I no longer needed to be silent or afraid to fight for change."
Representatives for TikTok and ByteDance did not immediately respond to requests for comment Thursday.