Microsoft is reportedly in talks to buy TikTok's US operations

Post by cheez » Sat, Aug 01, 2020, 3:32 AM UTC

mullingitover wrote: post #328

dtech wrote: post #196

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Github seems to have gotten some fire in their ass in the last 1-2 years. Hard to say whether that is because of Microsoft or competition of Gitlab, or both.

I comparison shopped Gitlab vs Github a few years back, and it was a joke: Gitlab killed Github on features and price. They still do. I'm not overly attached to either platform, but clearly Github has ridden on their laurels hard for a long time and Gitlab has not.

Post by jjcon » Sat, Aug 01, 2020, 3:43 AM UTC

billfruit wrote: post #360

jjcon wrote: post #352

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> So a US equivalent would be to require data to be based in the US Right, isn’t that what a sale to Microsoft would essentially do? The metaphor here doesn’t cover the fact that China has banned tons of American companies — should the US not respond in turn? I don’t know what the right response is tbh but I don’t think they should feel compelled to just shrug it off.

Even sale to Microsoft would looks legally dubious I think, if federal government is seen to be involved in brokering such a deal or ordering Microsoft to do it. I don't think the federal government or at least the executive should have that kind of authority like asking/forcing Microsoft to do a specific thing. I don't know about China, but US executive and legislative have limits to their authority and I doubt such…

Post by dodobirdlord » Sat, Aug 01, 2020, 3:48 AM UTC

billfruit wrote: post #360

jjcon wrote: post #352

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> So a US equivalent would be to require data to be based in the US Right, isn’t that what a sale to Microsoft would essentially do? The metaphor here doesn’t cover the fact that China has banned tons of American companies — should the US not respond in turn? I don’t know what the right response is tbh but I don’t think they should feel compelled to just shrug it off.

Even sale to Microsoft would looks legally dubious I think, if federal government is seen to be involved in brokering such a deal or ordering Microsoft to do it. I don't think the federal government or at least the executive should have that kind of authority like asking/forcing Microsoft to do a specific thing. I don't know about China, but US executive and legislative have limits to their authority and I doubt such…

Post by dodobirdlord » Sat, Aug 01, 2020, 4:00 AM UTC

xster wrote: post #195

halfmatthalfcat wrote: post #152

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is it any more odd than China strong-arming the NBA, lest they are barred from operating there? If TikTok wants the American/European market and they’d sell the company in order to so, that’s just the reality of working within the current geopolitical landscape.

Wouldn't the logical equivalency be for China to strong-arm the NBA to sell ownership to a Chinese company if they want the NBA to continue to be watched by Chinese audience?

Post by [deleted] » Sat, Aug 01, 2020, 4:01 AM UTC

kanox wrote: post #315

jtmarmon wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Speaking personally, here's why TikTok concerns me: TikTok is a Chinese business, and China has shown no limit to how much it will meddle in the affairs of and even take control of Chinese businesses for the furthering of the Chinese state's agenda. Simultaneously, TikTok has captured the daily attention spans of millions of Americans, many of them especially young and impressionable. They've captured their attention…

> Imagine China subtly promoting videos to create outrage and civil unrest in the US, or to feed anti-US propaganda to germinate terrorist groups in the US. Restricting foreign media based on "propaganda" fears is not a behavior that free societies engage in.