After his unseasonable departure from TikTok due to an existential threat posed by the Trump administration, top Disney exec-turned TikTok CEO Kevin Mayer has landed at investment firm Access Industries.
Mayer will serve as senior media advisor to the firm, where he will be tasked with “identifying new opportunities across media, entertainment, and telecommunications sectors, from wireless communications and production services to broadcast/streaming media and entertainment licensing ventures,” Access said in a press release.
Access was founded by the entrepreneur Len Blavatnik in 1986, and currently holds stakes in Warner Music Group, sports-focused streaming service DAZN, and music platform Deezer. In addition to media properties, Access also holds investments across a variety of sectors, including natural resources and chemicals, real estate, biotech, and more.
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Mayer was at Disney for roughly two decades, where he most recently oversaw the development and launch of the company’s massively successful DTC streaming service, Disney+. He left Disney in May after being passed over for the CEO role, joining TikTok as its chief executive — as well as the COO of parent company Bytedance, bringing an irrefutable cache to the Chinese-owned video platform amid allegations that it posed a security threat to American users — allegations that TikTok has repeatedly denied.
That said, Mayer departed TikTok just three months after his arrival after the Trump administration issued an executive order mandating that TikTok sell its U.S. assets — citing the national security concerns. A deal for the acquisition of TikTok’s U.S. business is in the works at Walmart and Oralce, as TikTok’s legal future remains uncertain. In explaining his decision to leave the company, Mayer noted that the sale of TikTok’s U.S. assets would drastically alter his globally-oriented role.
“I look forward to helping Access build on the success of its leading media and entertainment businesses as a key component of my future endeavors,” Mayer said of his new role in a statement. “Len has created a company with a variety of impressive assets well positioned to move forward strongly in the years ahead.”
