The global social media app TikTok has taken the world by storm since its release in 2016 and its merger with Musical.ly in 2018. But on August 5, TikTok confirmed it will close its Nashville Music Row office two years after signing the lease to FOX 17 News to “streamline operations” and “better align teams for long-term growth.”
The office, which occupies several floors on 19th Avenue South, will close on October 5 with all 250 staff members laid off, according to labor documents filed with the state of Tennessee and reported by the New York Times.
The lease was initially signed in 2024, taking TikTok from the initially expected 57,500 square feet to 143,600 square feet, making it one of the largest office leases in the city in the last decade. This lease also helped expand TikTok in Silicon Valley, Seattle, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Austin.
While this layoff is the largest in the company’s history, it has cut music division staff on more than one occasion since it shut its standalone TikTok Music streaming service in 2024.
“We have decided to close our Nashville office to streamline our operations and better align our teams for long-term growth,” a TikTok spokesperson said in a statement.
“We remain fully committed to providing secure, safe and positive experiences for the 200 million Americans that create, discover and connect with what they love on TikTok.”
