Who is TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew’s wife, Vivian Kao – who just attended the Met Gala with her husband as the China-owned social media platform faces a ban in the US?

May 7 , 2024

Tik Tok CEO Shou Zi Chew (left) and Vivian Kao arrive for the 2024 Met Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 6, in New York. Photo: AFP

Plenty of buzz surrounded the couple’s appearance at the Met Gala, which they last attended in 2022 – Shou was even an honorary chair alongside Loewe creative director, Jonathan Anderson

He and his wife met at Harvard Business School in the 2000s and both once worked at Goldman Sachs – now they share 3 kids together, and have lived all over the globe

As the biggest names in Hollywood, business, sports, fashion, tech and film descend on New York for the Met Gala 2024, held today, all eyes are likely on TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew and his wife, Vivian Kao.

The couple have been in the spotlight after Chew’s recent commitment to fight US lawmakers’ decision to force TikTok to divorce from its parent company – or face being banned.

So, just who is this most talked-about tech boss and his wife? Do they have kids? We’ll start with The Met event first …

Is this the first time Shou Zi Chew and Vivian Kao attended the Met Gala?

Shou Zi Chew and Vivian Kao attend The Met Gala in New York, in May 2022. Photo: Getty Images

The couple stole the show at the Met Gala’s 2022 edition, and plenty of hype definitely surrounded their appearance this year. The buzz was not only because of the pending legal battle between TikTok and US lawmakers, but also because Chew was named an honorary chair of the event. He was joined by Loewe creative director Jonathan Anderson, reports Grazia.

Why is Shou Zi Chew in the news recently?

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew testifies before the House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing on safeguarding US data privacy and protecting children from online harms, Capitol Hill, Washington DC, in March 2023. Photo: Getty Images

Before taking the helm of the social media platform, Chew, 41, worked at Goldman Sachs in London as a banker, later joining DST Global, a venture capital firm with a preference for online companies. He has an estimated net worth of US$200 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth.

He has recently been making headlines after US President Joe Biden signed a national security-related bill that is effectively forcing the platform’s owner ByteDance to sell it within nine months, or be banned in the US.

Shou Zi Chew (centre), TikTok CEO, departs from the Russell Senate Office Building in March, after The House of Representatives voted to ban TikTok in the US unless Chinese-owned parent company ByteDance sells the popular video app within the next nine months. Photo: Getty Images

Over 170 million Americans use the platform, said Chew in a video on TikTok, pledging to fight the potential ban. “Make no mistake, this is a ban, a ban on TikTok and a ban on you and your voice,” he said.