Who is the CEO of Triller? TikTok rival's recent controversy explained as app leaves Black creators in debt 

Triller, a short video-sharing platform similar to TikTok, faced scrutiny after creators on the app told The Washington Post that they have not been getting their payments from the company. The platform hired close to 300 black content creators in 2020 but has reportedly faltered to make timely payments.

Last year, Triller welcomed Mahi De Silva as the new CEO of its board after the company's long-running CEO, Mike Lu, took on the role of president.

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Creators complain that Triller has left them deep in debt, facing eviction, and skipping meals to deal with their expenses

Triller employed close to 300 black creators last year, offering contracts totaling up to $14 million last year. The platform decided to hire black creators after many of them shared discontent with TikTok and their guidelines that weren't doing enough to protect POC creators and their ideas.

The TikTok rival grabbed the opportunity to invite black creators with the promise to hold a Black Creator Conference in Atlanta this year.

The app has hired big creators like David Warren, Sway Boys and members of Collab Crib.

It posted about its collab by saying that it was "the largest ever one-time commitment of capital to black creators" in a November 2021 news release.

However, it hasn't been able to withstand its commitments, with creators complaining that they have been paid infrequently or not at all.

The Washington Post conducted a dozen interviews with people employed by the brand. According to reports, the app had promised to pay $4,000 per month to Black creators, with half paid in equity. They even offered remunerations as high as $10,000 per stream on TrillerTV to top TikTok stars.

However, it has been infrequent with its payments, with creators staying on their toes in fear of being kicked out of the program.

One of Triller's black influencers, David Warren, shared his feelings by saying:

"We were made to look like fools"

Other creators told The Washington Post that the lack of payments has led them to debt, face eviction, and even skip meals.

After The Washington Post's story about the issue was published in June, creators started to receive payments in July, however, it came with various alterations to their contracts and other kinds of NDAs.

Triller CEO Mahi De Silva denied the claims and gave a statement saying the "company has met its financial commitments to the creators of the program and will continue to do so." He added:

“We specifically take pride in our role in creating a platform that celebrates Black creator content. No other medium has done as much as Triller has for this often overlooked and under-represented part of the creator economy.”

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All we know about Mahi de Silva

Mahi de Silva is the CEO and co-founder of Amplify.ai, a conversational AI that works on mobiles and desktops. He was also the non-executive board chairman for TrillerNet before becoming the CEO of the company.

Silva was born in Sri Lanka but moved to the United States when he was 11 years old. After high school, he graduated from the University of Kansas and Stanford and worked for Apple as his first serious job. He later created a company called AdMarvel, which was acquired by Opera and helped the browser amplify its income ten times through monetization.

Silva has worked for companies like Nanotech Energy and Hydrophilix in the past.

In his current position, he is set to assist the company's former CEO and current president, Mike Lu, in making the business public. While talking about the company, Silva said:

“The brand has empowered global influencers with unique capabilities to reach and engage millions of users around the world while delivering innovate ways for partner brands to join this vibrant and flourishing ecosystem. The best is yet to come.”

He added that he was excited to take on the role of CEO and join a talented team that's "re-defining the future of content, creators, and commerce."