Several months after it was banned in India, TikTok has scaled down its Indian operations, citing the government's inaction on a clear path forward. The company declined to say how many employees were affected. Two officials working with firms developing apps that were banned alongside TikTok told MediaNama that the ban was now "extended", according to a communication received from the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MEITY) which cited a committee recommendation, the sources told us. This could be why TikTok has opted to lay employees off instead of waiting a few more months. Reuters first reported the extension of the ban. TikTok sent MediaNama this statement: We have worked steadfastly to comply with the Government of India order issued on June 29, 2020. We continually strive to make our apps comply with local laws and regulations and do our best to address any concerns they have. It is therefore disappointing that in the ensuing seven months, despite our efforts we have not been given a clear direction on how and when our apps could be reinstated. It is deeply regretful that after supporting our 2000+ employees in India for more than half a year, we have no choice but to scale back the size of our workforce. We look forward to receiving the opportunity to relaunch TikTok and support the hundreds of millions of users, artists, story-tellers, educators and performers in India. When asked about the extension of the bank in particular, TikTok sent MediaNama this statement: We…
