Stephanie Ricci contributed to this story.
Few executives have navigated the fast-moving world of social media with the insight and impact of Kudzi Chikumbu, the former Global Head of Creator Marketing at TikTok. After nearly a decade at one of the world’s most influential platforms, he made the bold decision to step away and chart a new course as a multi-hyphenate entrepreneur.
And his timing couldn’t have been better. The global creator economy, worth $200 billion in 2024 and projected to reach $528.39 billion by 2030, is thriving, while TikTok alone contributed $24.2 billion to the U.S. in 2023.
Yet, Chikumbu’s departure from this booming industry reflects a broader workforce trend as 16.7% of the U.S. workforce now works as full-time independent contractors, with projections showing that over 50% will participate in the gig economy by 2027.
An Unlikely Path to Silicon Valley
Chikumbu professional journey began far from the tech corridors of California.
Born in Zimbabwe, he grew up in South Africa, where he initially studied to become an accountant at the University of Cape Town, before working at Deloitte in Johannesburg.
But numbers weren’t his passion.
“I always wanted to work with creators because I was a creator online back when YouTube started and all the different machinations of online content creation,” he says. This desire led him to Stanford for his MBA, which paved the way for his transition.
After graduating in 2016, Chikumbu joined Musical.ly, which would soon be acquired by ByDance and merged to become TikTok as we know it today.
The platform’s business ecosystem supports substantial employment across the U.S. economy.
According to a study by Oxford Economics, TikTok’s approximately 7.5 million business users collectively employ over 28 million sole proprietors and workers nationwide. This economic impact extends to major corporations, with the 15 largest U.S. employers that maintain TikTok business accounts representing around 8 million employees.
“It was kind of like this full circle journey of wanting to work with creators to working at one of the biggest creator platforms,” he says.
As Global Head of Creator Marketing, Chikumbu was instrumental in helping the company reinvent itself and reshape the digital landscape. He defines his role as Global Head of Creator Marketing as a three-phase journey: creator, builder, and leader. “In the early days,” he recalls, “I was simply thrilled to be making content.” That excitement eventually grew into leading a global team, an experience he describes as both challenging and deeply rewarding.
“It was about how we talk to creators at a global level—from our social media and product marketing to experiential campaigns—helping them tell the story of why TikTok is a platform for creators,” he says.
Creativity for Connection
Chikumbu made the surprising decision to leave TikTok in July 2024.
“I feel like my mission there was done,” he says. “There’s a Stanford essay question that asks, ‘What matters most to you and why?’ For me, it’s always been about personal authenticity and helping people unleash their creativity. I felt like I had done that to the fullest extent, and I knew it was time to step off the train.”
The decision wasn’t just about about career fulfillment. Chikumbu had been cultivating a parallel identity as Sir Candleman, a creator in the fragrance world – a reflection of a broader trend in the industry where 70% of independent content creators work part-time in the creator economy.
“I [was making] good money, but I was also a creator at the same time,” he says. “Sir Candleman is my persona in the world of fine fragrance, perfume, and fragrance. It’s a space where I can stay creative while also sustaining my livelihood.”
Chikumbu’s definition of creativity has nothing to do with having the right tools or chasing trends. His perspective runs much deeper, touching on something almost spiritual.
“To me, it’s almost like a connection to its connection, meaning connection to a greater source. People call that God, the universe, whatever you want, but also connection to people and things and like paying attention and then distilling those inspirations into something unique.”
It’s a refreshingly grounded take in a world where creative hacks and productivity shortcuts are often sought after. But Chikumbu doesn’t limit this philosophy to traditional artistic work. He sees it everywhere, even in the most corporate of settings.
“It’s about putting together the kind of different pieces of information, whether that’s you know what the creative team is looking to do, the marketing team, what the users are saying, what are your customers are saying, and think of it as a novel approach to solving a problem. Creativity requires being connected and listening to what people are saying around you.”
That same emphasis on authentic connection carries over into how Chikumbu approaches leadership. As someone who describes himself as an “introverted extrovert,” he’s developed a nuanced understanding of what genuine leadership means for his particular personality and energy patterns.
“I’ve come to learn to manage my energy authentically so that I have enough so that I could show up when I need to, but also pull back if I need to recharge,” says Chikumbu, challenging the conventional wisdom about vulnerability.
“People say ‘show up as your full self’ all the time. For me, it’s more about showing up with the right energy that matches the moment and managing that—for me, that’s my authentic feeling. I don’t know if you need to share every last part of your life. I think people overdo that.”
Finding Strength In Difference
Chikumbu’s move from Africa to Stanford brought him face-to-face with a new kind of academic environment. That first day on campus, sitting in class and hearing his classmates’ backgrounds, he felt the weight of standing out.
“I’m sitting next to one person who went to Harvard, another went to Yale, another went Cornell. I’m like, oh my god, I really felt like an imposter,” he says.
But somewhere along the way, he realized something crucial. What made him feel like an outsider was actually what would set him apart in the best possible way.
“Being different helps you, can help you win because people pay attention, like they notice you. So then you can use that as fuel to do whatever you want to do.”
This insight would prove essential years later in his fragrance work. His distinctive perspective and background—the very thing that once made him question if he belonged—became the reason people couldn’t look away from Sir Candleman.
Looking back, he understands why his persona gained so much attention in a crowded field of fragrance content creators, he says. In a space filled with influencers, what made him stand out was the unexpected combination of his African heritage and his expertise in exclusive Parisian scents—a pairing that naturally made people stop and take notice, sparking genuine curiosity about his story.
The Multi-Hyphenate Future
Today, Chikumbu is focused on his podcast “Not Just One Thing,” which explores “building a career that’s as interesting as all the parts of you.”
The show serves as both a teaching tool and a preparation for his next venture.
According to Gartner researchers writing in the Harvard Business Review, the collapse of traditional career paths is among nine key trends identified as shaping work in 2024 and beyond.
“I interview people who are multi-hyphenates or who have coached multi-hyphenates. And they share their wisdom. And I recap—but almost like a teacher. I think I would have been an educator in another life,” says Chikumbu.
His vision for the future of work is clear: “I think you have to be a multi-hyphenate, it’s almost like the portfolio career,” he says.
This isn’t just about younger workers; he’s discovered that “a lot of people feel unfulfilled or want to explore a little bit more of their lives in a way that they don’t feel so caged in.”
This aligns with recent workforce data showing that 41% of workers say their current job doesn’t align with their career goals, and job security concerns have risen from 44% to 60% in 2024.
Bridging Creators and Streaming
While building his entrepreneurial ventures, Chikumbu just recently joined Tubi as Vice President of Creator Partnerships, demonstrating how his departure from TikTok wasn’t an exit from the creator space, but rather an evolution toward its next frontier.
The role positions him at the intersection of traditional entertainment and the creator economy, as Tubi expands its programming with creators like MrBeast, who will bring seasons six through eight of his YouTube channel to the platform.
“I’m thrilled to join Tubi at a time when creators are redefining entertainment,” Chikumbu, said announcing the role. “I’m excited to bring fresh, bold and authentic storytelling to their passionate viewers.”
Staying Current in a Fast-Moving World
But building a career at the intersection of technology and culture means one thing is non-negotiable: you have to stay plugged in. For Chikumbu, this isn’t about following trends, but being where the conversations are actually happening.
“I use the Internet. I’m extremely online, maybe more than most of my friends, but that’s the world I live in. And, cause that’s where you feel the conversation,” he says.
This approach reflects a timeless truth about staying culturally relevant. The method may have changed, but the principle remains the same.
“Back in the day, Michael Jackson, Madonna, all the stars would be the keys, you need to go to the streets or like fashion. You need to see what people are wearing and what people talk about, that’s lingo. It’s the exact same thing. The street art is now social media.”
Looking Forward
As Chikumbu continues to expand his influence across multiple ventures, his focus remains clear: service through education. His journey from Zimbabwe to Stanford to TikTok stardom to entrepreneurship isn’t just an interesting career arc, but a roadmap for thriving in today’s fluid professional landscape.
The lessons are simple: lean into what makes one distinctive, maintain creative connections, and have the courage to pivot when the work in one arena is complete. But executing on these principles requires both self-awareness and strategic thinking, qualities that have defined every stage of Chikumbu’s evolution.
His story shows that modern success requires a willingness to reinvent, an ability to stay genuinely connected to culture, and the confidence to make bold moves when the moment is right.