V. Pappas, TikTok’s chief operating officer, has resigned, as first reported by The information. In a memo Pappas posted on Twitter, they informed staff that they will no longer be serving as the company’s COO, as they believe the “time is right to move on and refocus.” Pappas will remain with TikTok in an advisory role.

“Given all the successes achieved on TikTok, I finally feel the time is right to move on and refocus on my entrepreneurial passions,” Pappas writes. “Few imagined what the last five years would look like and with all the incredible innovation happening now with generative AI, robotics, renewable energy, genomics, blockchain and the IoT, the future is clearly going to look very different again.”

When reached for comment, TikTok provided The edge with an emailed copy of the memo CEO Shou Zi Chew sent to employees.

Pappas was basically the American face of TikTok for many years, making announcements for the company and speaking about its upcoming strategy and programming. More recently, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew has taken on a more prominent and public role, appearing before Congress and even popping up on TikTok videos to speak directly to users.

Prior to TikTok, Pappas spent nearly eight years at YouTube, where he led audience and insights teams. They became TikTok’s U.S. general manager in 2018. Pappas served as TikTok’s interim CEO for a short time, beginning in 2020, before becoming COO in April 2021.