Mayer, TikTok’s American CEO, has resigned after just three months in the job, citing the ongoing geopolitical tensions between the U.S. and China. “I understand that the role that I signed up for—including running TikTok globally—will look very different as a result of the U.S. Administration’s action to push for a sell off of the U.S. business,” Mayer wrote to employees. TikTok said it “fully” respects Mayer’s decision and wishes him well. (CNBC)

Talking point: The Disney veteran took over TikTok’s top job on June 1 as part of the company’s efforts to downplay its Chinese roots; the app is owned by Beijing-based ByteDance. His departure comes days after TikTok sued the Donald Trump administration for trying to ban it in the U.S., and amid government pressure to sell its American operations within 90 days. Microsoft is currently the frontrunner; Walmart confirmed today it has joined this bid. Other potential bidders include Twitter, Oracle and SoftBank. (Google and Netflix have ruled themselves out.) A deal in the US$20-to-$30-billion range is expected in the coming days. It remains to be seen how Mayer’s exit will impact the app’s ban in India; he was reportedly leading early-stage talks with Reliance to buy TikTok’s operations in the country. In a letter to employees after Mayer’s exit, ByteDance founder Zhang Yiming said the company is “moving quickly” to resolve issues in India and the U.S.