ByteDance Says It Fired 80 Employees in Q1 2026, Including 45 for Information Security Violations

ByteDance’s Corporate Discipline and Professional Ethics Committee said it dismissed 80 employees in the first quarter of 2026 for crossing internal “red lines,” including 45 cases involving information security violations, according to Jiemian News. In its 2026 No. 2 internal notice released on June 30, the company said penalties for serious breaches can include naming individuals in internal notices, sharing cases with an industry alliance, and clawing back stock options, and that it may pursue legal liability in severe cases.

The notice cited a leak case in which a former employee allegedly lent a Feishu (Lark) account to another former employee who had joined a competitor, enabling continued access to and downloads of confidential information; ByteDance said it has filed a civil lawsuit against both individuals. It also disclosed cases involving social media policy breaches, including an intern whose internship was terminated, and said four outsourced HR staff were removed for improperly querying, saving and exporting internal talent information and may face legal action.

ByteDance said it filed 12 civil lawsuits in 2025 related to leaks such as lending Feishu work accounts and participating in paid external interviews.