TikTok to return to India? Bytedance posts job openings for Gurugram office

TikTok remains banned in India, but ByteDance has posted two job openings at its Gurugram office, triggering speculation about the app's possible comeback

ByteDance, the parent company of Chinese short-video app Tiktok, has posted two openings on LinkedIn — a content moderator (Bengali speaker) and a wellbeing partnership and operations lead — at its Gurugram office. The company’s website has also become partially accessible in India, triggering speculation about TikTok’s possible return.

 

Why it matters

 

India was TikTok’s second-largest market with nearly 200 million users before the 2020 ban. A revival could reshape India’s short-video ecosystem, currently dominated by Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, and domestic apps like Moj and Josh.

 

The move comes amid a diplomatic thaw between India and China following the imposition of punitive tariffs on New Delhi by US President Donald Trump. On Sunday, August 31, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday held bilateral talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin, where both leaders emphasised to work together.

 

 

Why was Tiktok banned?

 

TikTok was banned in June 2020, along with 58 other Chinese apps, after the clashes between Indian and Chinese troops in the Galwan Valley. The government cited national security and data privacy concerns.

 

Other ByteDance platforms like Helo and CapCut were also banned.

 

Tiktok ban remains in place

 

However, reports suggest that there has been no change in TikTok’s status. “We have not restored access to TikTok in India and continue to comply with the Government of India's directive,” a TikTok spokesperson told The Economic Times.

 

No unblocking orders have been issued. Similar rumours surfaced on August 22, when some users briefly accessed TikTok’s website. While the site now redirects to its ‘About Us’ section, videos remain inaccessible and the app is unavailable on Play Store and App Store.

 

ByteDance’s mixed fortunes in India

 

Resso, its music-streaming app, shut down in January 2024 after once counting India as a top market. Lark, its productivity tool, continues to operate in India.

 

The Gurugram postings suggest ByteDance is maintaining a limited footprint despite setbacks.

 

For now, TikTok remains unavailable to Indian users — but the latest jobs show ByteDance has not shut the door on re-entering the market.