Thriving at TikTok: Challenges and Strategies

Ray (Jiayi) Cao is the global head of product strategy and operations for monetization product at TikTok. Prior to TikTok, Ray spent six years at Google helping scale Google Shopping globally. In our conversation, we discuss:

• TikTok’s internal culture and core values

• How TikTok’s product team operates

• How working at TikTok is different from working at Google

• How TikTok rolls out to new markets

• TikTok’s core principle of “context, not control”

• How their sales and product teams work together

• Lessons (and mistakes) from building TikTok’s early go-to-market team

• The importance of hiring for quality rather than quantity

• Insights on being successful on TikTok as a creator, a business, and an advertiser

—

Brought to you by:

• WorkOS—The modern API for auth & user identity

• Eppo—Run reliable, impactful experiments

• OneSchema—Import CSV data 10x faster

—

Find the full transcript at: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/inside-tiktok-culture-strategy-monetization

—

Where to find Ray Cao:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jiayiraycao/

—

Where to find Lenny:

• Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com

• X: https://twitter.com/lennysan

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/

—

In this episode, we cover:

(00:00) Ray’s background

(04:55) Cultural differences between Google and TikTok

(08:24) Fine-tuning the algorithm for different markets

(12:15) Examples of fine-tuning the algorithm

(15:11) Core principles and values of TikTok

(19:34) Hiring at TikTok

(21:38) Embracing the “always day one” mentality

(25:09) Collaboration between teams

(28:38) Amazon’s cultural influence

(31:14) Setting up the product organization for speed and innovation

(35:38) Building the go-to-market team

(40:18) What makes people successful at TikTok

(43:02) Thoughts on putting in long hours

(44:40) OKRs and planning at TikTok

(49:12) Tips for how to be successful on TikTok

(53:49) Tips for advertising on TikTok

(01:04:03) Getting started with TikTok Ads

(01:08:42) Common mistakes to avoid with TikTok advertising

(01:09:44) Ray’s favorite TikTok account

(01:10:54) Where to find Ray

—

Referenced:

• TikTok: https://tiktok.com/

• Google Shopping: https://shopping.google.com/

• Eugene Wei’s blog: https://www.eugenewei.com/

• TikTok and the Sorting Hat: https://www.eugenewei.com/blog/2020/8/3/tiktok-and-the-sorting-hat

• How Netflix builds a culture of excellence | Elizabeth Stone (CTO): https://www.lennyspodcast.com/how-netflix-builds-a-culture-of-excellence-elizabeth-stone-cto/

• Inside OpenAI | Logan Kilpatrick (head of developer relations): https://www.lennyspodcast.com/inside-openai-logan-kilpatrick-head-of-developer-relations/

• Brian Chesky’s new playbook: https://www.lennyspodcast.com/brian-cheskys-new-playbook/

• Lead with Context not Control: https://www.svpg.com/lead-with-context-not-control/

• Shuba on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tiktokbrownchick

• Duolingo on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@duolingo

• Duolingo leagues: https://duolingo.fandom.com/wiki/League

• CapCut: https://www.capcut.com/

• Amanda Talijan (silent baby item reviews) on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@amanda_talijan/video/7321700482018233642

—

Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email podcast@lennyrachitsky.com.

—

Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.lennysnewsletter.com/subscribe