Will TikTok Return to India? Hiring Activity Sparks Speculation

For the past few days, social media has been buzzing with speculation about TikTok’s possible return to India. The sudden availability of the app for a brief period and the company’s decision to begin fresh recruitments at its Gurugram office have only added fuel to the rumours. But the question remains—will the ban actually be lifted?

As of now, both TikTok’s parent company ByteDance and the Indian government have made it clear that the app continues to remain banned in India. Officials have stated that no order has been issued to unblock TikTok, and the app is still unavailable on Google Play Store and Apple App Store. The Ministry has dismissed the chatter about TikTok’s return as nothing more than rumours.

Interestingly, despite the ban, TikTok has started hiring again in India. Recent job postings for its Gurugram office include roles such as Content Moderator (Bengali Speaker) and Wellbeing Partnership & Operations Lead, listed on LinkedIn and other professional platforms. This hiring activity is what triggered speculation among users that TikTok may be preparing for a comeback.

TikTok was originally banned in June 2020, along with 58 other Chinese apps, due to concerns over data security, potential data transfer to China, and threats to national security. Following the ban, several Indian alternatives like Moj, Josh, and MX TakaTak gained traction, but the biggest beneficiary was Instagram Reels, which today dominates the short-video content space in India.

Industry experts say that while TikTok’s new hiring shows that it still has an eye on the Indian market, a comeback won’t be easy. For any return, the company would need to set up local data servers, comply with strict safety standards, and obtain fresh approvals from the government—similar to how Krafton managed to relaunch PUBG Mobile in India under the new name BGMI.

For now, TikTok’s return remains uncertain, but its hiring activity suggests that the company hasn’t completely given up on the Indian market.