TikTok's Bellevue workforce hit 2,200 last year, a jump of 500 employees that cemented the social media company as one of the city's major tech employers.

The growth, reported by the Seattle Times, came as TikTok filled former Microsoft office space it leased in 2024.

The Puget Sound Business Journal also reported on TikTok's 2,200-employee milestone.

That expansion stands in sharp contrast to recent cuts.

In August, the company filed a WARN notice to lay off 75 employees at its Lincoln Square North office at 700 Bellevue Way NE, with separations scheduled for Oct. 19, Downtown Bellevue Network reported.

The cuts fell heavily on TikTok Shop and global e-commerce teams, affecting product managers, data scientists, software engineers and anti-fraud staff.

The WARN notice was filed by TikTok affiliate TT Commerce & Global Services LLC.

The layoffs were not a first. In July 2025, TikTok and parent company ByteDance filed separate WARN notices covering 65 employees, most tied to TikTok Shop, according to Downtown Bellevue Network.

The headcount figures carry some ambiguity. The Seattle Times, citing newly released city figures, put TikTok's Bellevue workforce at 2,200 for 2025.

Downtown Bellevue Network reported in August that TikTok employed "roughly 1,600 people in the Puget Sound region."

The discrepancy may reflect different geographies or time periods, but neither outlet reconciled the numbers.

TikTok's growth fits a broader pattern. Six of Bellevue's top 10 employers are now tech or tech-adjacent companies, according to the Seattle Times. Meta ranks as the city's second-largest employer with 6,300 workers. Amazon remains No. 1 with 15,700.

Jesse Canedo, Bellevue's chief development officer, told the Seattle Times he sees three chapters of tech companies planting flags in the city: the prepandemic boom from 2016 to 2018, pandemic-era growth in 2021, and a current wave with a more diversified mix of newcomers. "It feels broader, it feels bigger," Canedo said. "Which is really good."

Still, departures by Microsoft and Expedia left gaps. Downtown Bellevue's office vacancy rate stood at 22% as of June, according to a Colliers report cited by the Seattle Times. Before the pandemic, that rate was as low as 3.3%.

TikTok opened a 40,000-square-foot Bellevue office for its U.S. Data Security division in 2025, according to Downtown Bellevue Network. The company also moved into Lincoln Square North space that Microsoft had vacated, the Puget Sound Business Journal reported in a January article.

The Bellevue cuts followed TikTok's announcement that it would close its Nashville office, eliminating about 250 positions there.