People think a random Canadian is the CEO of new app RedNote

Social media app RedNote is gaining traction in the U.S. as the TikTok ban gets closer to reality.

RedNote’s Chinese name is Xiaohongshu, and the app has a unique design, so a tutorial video made by a Canadian man has gone viral, and now people are sharing his post and calling him the CEO of the company, according to a post on Gizmodo.

His post and fake status within the company have even gotten him on a local newscast in New York. In the video, the Canadian man never says that he’s the head of the company, but the way he describes the app just feels business-like.

According to Reuters, the app was actually co-founded in 2013 in Shanghai by the company’s current president and CEO. The Canadian man is a Vancouver local named Jerry. Jerry was born in Shanghai but spent most of his life in California before moving to Canada a decade ago.

The Supreme Court could still strike down the TikTok ban. However, at this point, it seems very likely that TikTok will be banned in the U.S. on January 19. RedNote is growing in popularity as Americans download other Chinese apps as a protest against the government for banning their favourite social media platform.

Source: Gizmodo, Reuters