TikTok has a new CEO — now he has to deal with music labels, competing apps, and angry senators

Photo by Jesse Grant / Getty Images for Disney

Kevin Mayer, once heir apparent to the Disney throne, is leaving the House of Mouse to run a different kind of entertainment company: TikTok.

TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, announced on Monday that Mayer will become chief executive officer of the incredibly popular video app and also take on the role of chief operating officer at ByteDance. Mayer might seem like an odd fit for TikTok — Disney’s social media ventures are limited, and TikTok isn’t a traditional entertainment company — but as TikTok faces regulatory issues, licensing problems, and incoming competition from giants like Facebook and Google, Mayer’s history of negotiating big deals and building relationships in Hollywood and Washington is arguably exactly what TikTok…