'TikTok refugees' flood Xiaohongshu, App scrambles to recruit English talent

With the looming Jan. 19 deadline for TikTok's "sell or ban" ultimatum in the US, Chinese social platform Xiaohongshu (RedNote) has emerged as a major beneficiary. A surge of self-proclaimed "TikTok refugees" has flooded the app, driving Xiaohongshu's downloads to skyrocket in the US market.

The app has held the top spot on the US iOS free app download chart for two consecutive days and climbed 42 places on the Google Play Store on Jan. 14, reaching second place.

The influx of international users has sparked heated discussions online, with many Chinese users commenting that "Xiaohongshu is now full of foreigners." Calls for improved comment translation features and other updates have grown louder. In response, Xiaohongshu appears to be preparing for this wave of new users. Observant netizens have noted that the platform recently added urgent job postings for English-speaking interns on its official campus recruitment website, fueling speculation that the company is gearing up to better accommodate the influx of "TikTok refugees."

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