Communist China-Owned TikTok Eyes Nashville For New Office Space

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The Tennessee Conservative Staff –

Social media company TikTok is working on a deal to invest millions of dollars into a multi-story office building in Nashville’s Music Row area.

The company is owned by Chinese technology company ByteDance. They have actually had an established presence in Nashville for several years, using several floors of the WeWork coworking space downtown.

Recently obtained construction permits show that TikTok will be reworking the top five floors of the Moore Building, located on 19^th Avenue. They leased several floors of the building last year.

Plans include construction on the 12^th and 13^th floors of the building to add partitions to create both open-concept and enclosed offices, as well as conference rooms. The permit lists an estimated cost of $2.8 million for the remodel.

Another $1.8 million is allocated to add a staircase to connect the 14^th, 15^th, and 16^th floors of the building.

Tennessee Senator Marsha Blackburn has previously spoken out against the company’s expansion in Nashville, citing concerns over national security.

Blackburn released the following official statement regarding the company in March 2024:

“I do not support China-owned TikTok opening up an office in Nashville. When TikTok’s CEO was in Washington, I made it clear to him that Tennesseans are extremely concerned about China’s influence. TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, is tied to the Chinese Communist Party by strict laws in Beijing that force companies to hand over users’ personal data. Just last week, we saw how TikTok was weaponized to push propaganda and lobby on behalf of the CCP’s interests. I will continue fighting to either ban TikTok or ensure Beijing does not control the app.” 

On a related note, Conservative Tennessee Representative John Ragan introduced legislation that would have prohibited Tennessee from having a business relationships with foreign adversaries of the United States in the last session of the General Assembly.

Tennessee House Subcommittee Fails Bill To Prevent Business With “Foreign Adversaries” Of The U.S. In Voice Vote Led By Chair Iris Rudder

However, HB1841 failed in the House Public Service Subcommittee by voice vote led by Republican Chair Iris Rudder.

Rudder stated that the legislation failed with no member audibly voting in favor of the bill.