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TikTok has recently traded at valuations of $105-110B on private markets

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Re: TikTok has recently traded at valuations of $105-110B on private markets

#74
post #54

TikTok proved to be a perfect secret clubhouse for Gen Z sensibilities of humor, nihilism, and celebration of differences. But as older generations pile on that do not pass the "vibe check", it is already slowly starting to ruin the party. It's still the best party in town, but hopefully ByteDance is humble enough to realize TikTok's success is about a lucky coupling of a format and cultural moment.

I don't necessarily agree with this. I know several people that get their daily news through Snapchat. Tiktok rewards viral content, unlike Facebook which just blasts everything your friends do on the platform into your timeline. I think the signal is much higher on tiktok.

Re: TikTok has recently traded at valuations of $105-110B on private markets

#75
Maybe something worth mentioning: The ratings on google play [1] dropped from 4.5/5 to 1.2/5 because they deleted a video criticizing a TikTok user and did not delete a video endorsing acid attacks, but it seems like it's mainly ongoing in India. [2]

[1] https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.zhiliaoapp...

[2] https://www.indiatvnews.com/technology/news-tiktok-gets-1-st...

Re: TikTok has recently traded at valuations of $105-110B on private markets

#77
post #5

I really can't fathom how this is possible. The largely young demographic (which I'm guessing warrants this valuation) has a track record of jumping from platform to platform, whichever is trendy for a given year. With that in mind, how are investors seriously willing to get behind this company in such a big way?

i see four scenarios: 1. insanity 2. lies about numbers 3. massive invasive data siphoning and thats actually the basis for the valuation 4. tiktok now has a license to vast raw video and personal data that users granted them the right to use and resell in perpetuity. They obviously don't just keep edited but also raw data, videos never published, maybe even entire camera rolls. So much data held by a company shelter…

Scenario 5: you didn't read beyond the misleading headline to see that it's ByteDance, who own TikTok, and who did $20bn of revenue in 2019 (implying a 5x multiple on valuation).

Re: TikTok has recently traded at valuations of $105-110B on private markets

#79
post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Facebook solved the core problem of real identity on the web. Extending outside colleges was a natural progression (first to workplaces, then to high schools, then publicly). TikTok solves the problem of short form video creation / entertainment. Will their userbase be interested in creating the same type of content in 4-5 years? I think they'll struggle the same way Snapchat struggles to convince people over 35 to u…

> I think they'll struggle the same way Snapchat struggles to convince people over 35 to use their app. Have you used TikTok lately? It's overwhelmed with millennial/elder millennial and beyond. I don't see this as a problem for them and in fact I think people are jumping over to it in droves.

> elder millennial

The only time I feel old is when other people tell me I'm old.

Re: TikTok has recently traded at valuations of $105-110B on private markets

#80
Social media in the US was always something I thought that Chinese companies couldn't penetrate due to cultural differences. The fact that they have means so many more US tech businesses are potentially at risk, because China's tech sector is extremely strong on the software side, even on the open source side (Ant design for react, Vue js). This is despite relatively high anti-China sentiments: see Koa-router being transferred to a Chinese maintainer: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19158218, granted there are concerns with transferring a popular package to an unknown person for money, or Huawei's problems penetrating US market. Companies often have to hide their Chinese origins, such as OnePlus (a subsidiary of Oppo).
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