Americans Think This Random Canadian Guy Is the CEO of RedNote

At least 700,000 TikTok users in the U.S. have jumped ship to a Chinese-owned app called Xiaohongshu, or RedNote in English, according to the Guardian, as the U.S. government stands ready to ban TikTok starting Sunday. But if you’re seeing videos about a CEO of RedNote who tells you how to use the platform, don’t be fooled. Some guy went viral this week for his welcome video on RedNote but people seemed to think he’s the head of the company. The video was even featured on local TV news in New York. But it’s just some random RedNote user from Canada.

The video, posted earlier this week, features a man sitting at a table who says he wanted to make a quick video about Xiaohongshu “introducing you guys to this platform.”

“So tip number one, we mainly use this platform for searching for suggestions such as for restaurants, such as for shopping malls, even for like make-up tips,” the man says.

To be clear, he never claims to be the CEO of RedNote in the video and it’s hard to see why people assumed that. The video goes on to explain that most people on RedNote speak Chinese, but you should feel free to speak English if you like.

“I want to say, never stop sharing your voice because a platform such as Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok, YouTube, Xiaohongshu should never be banned,” the man says. “Like people sharing their actual voice there like about wildfire in L.A., about Gaza, and a lot other things, right?”

The man continued by emphasizing that it’s important to keep making content on social media platforms.

“These are real people’s voice. What matters more is that we never stop making content. So yeah, welcome to Xiaohongshu. Let me know what your thoughts, let me know what are interested in. I speak both Chinese and English so like feel free to ask me any questions.”

The video is pleasant and perhaps it was so straightforward that it gave an air of authority, like something a tech CEO might post, but he’s not the CEO. RedNote was actually co-founded in Shanghai in 2013 by Miranda Qu, the platform’s current president, and Charlwin Mao, the current CEO, according to Reuters.

Local TV news station Fox5 in New York ran a segment that ended with a claim that RedNote’s CEO had sent out a welcome video. But it was clear from the way it was described that the news outlet had been fooled.

“Now, Americans on RedNote have jokingly been referring to themselves as TikTok refugees,” reporter Jennifer William said in a broadcast on Monday. “The CEO of RedNote even made a video welcoming new users who speak English to the app. And he also encouraged them to never stop sharing their voice.”

“The voice and all that data,” the anchor responded with a laugh.

Who is this guy everyone is mistaking for the CEO? His name is Jerry and he shares a RedNote account with his partner Dani, according to Business Insider. Jerry actually lives in Vancouver, Canada and by all indications has no real idea why everyone thought he was the CEO of RedNote. He even posted a video on a new account created for TikTok, FakeCEORealGF in an effort to make it clear to other people that he doesn’t control RedNote.

“I’m just another normal guy in Vancouver,” Jerry said. “I didn’t expect this post to go viral like this. And thank you for all the comments, but I want to clarify that I’m not the CEO of RedNote. But whatever I said in that welcoming video stays true. I really hope you guys can enjoy this platform.”

Jerry says in the video that he grew up in Shanghai and came to Canada about a decade ago, while Dani says she’s Chinese and grew up in California before moving to Canada.

The U.S. ban on TikTok is scheduled for Jan. 19, the day before Donald Trump is inaugurated, but the U.S. Supreme Court is expected to weigh in before that actually happens. Most court watchers believe that based on the oral arguments made last week, SCOTUS will rule against TikTok and allow the ban to come into effect. But nobody knows for certain until we get a ruling. And we don’t know exactly when that might come. It could be tomorrow or it could be over the weekend right at the last minute, for all we know.

In the meantime, hundreds of thousands of Americans are giving RedNote a shot as one big fuck-you to the U.S. government. TikTok users really don’t like the idea of being told they can’t use an app they love and migrating to apps owned by people like Mark Zuckerberg is extremely unpalatable for those who see the Meta CEO as an ally of Trump.

But U.S. politicians are clearly uneasy about the pivot to RedNote. Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, a Democrat, expressed his frustration with the surge in RedNote sign-ups in a post on Bluesky.

“I’m concerned that Americans are flocking to a number of adversary-owned social media platforms. We still need a comprehensive and risk-based approach to assessing and mitigating the risks of foreign-owned apps,” Warner wrote Tuesday.

But the American ruling class is going to need to get used to Americans not just rolling over when their favorite toys get taken away. Because they can claim that China threatens the “way of life” America holds dear all day long. But that way of life is looking increasingly desperate and fraught, between the cost of living and the fact a convicted criminal is about to become the most powerful person in the country. Again. The most powerful person in the country again.