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TikTok CEO Kevin Mayer to leave the company

cnbc.com

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Re: TikTok CEO Kevin Mayer to leave the company

#81

Post by rapsey »

koonsolo wrote: post #64

As a European I find this whole story very confusing. A president that can just force a specific company on very short notice to shut down operation, is very concerning. What is even more concerning is that a lot of people here tend to agree because of the China thing. If it is that important, why is there no law that enforces this?

The US must be viewed as an empire not just any country. If the empire sees something as a threat, it will find legal justifications for doing anything and it will absolutely make distinctions between local corporations or ones with too many ties to rival geopolitical states.

Re: TikTok CEO Kevin Mayer to leave the company

#82

Post by fqye »

I mean, to steer a company through power struggle between the US and China is very interesting and could be a big plus for future high profile jobs. Unless he doesn't have much a role at the table and feel hurt. I assume it is the case.

Re: TikTok CEO Kevin Mayer to leave the company

#83

Post by eloisant »

koonsolo wrote: post #64

As a European I find this whole story very confusing. A president that can just force a specific company on very short notice to shut down operation, is very concerning. What is even more concerning is that a lot of people here tend to agree because of the China thing. If it is that important, why is there no law that enforces this?

The US has always be reckless when they want to take control of a foreign company. Other administrations have at least been a little more discreet, but it happened nonetheless.

See what happened to Alstom for example. There is a book about that, "The American Trap".

Re: TikTok CEO Kevin Mayer to leave the company

#84

Post by eecc »

yibg wrote: post #71
koonsolo wrote: post #64

As a European I find this whole story very confusing. A president that can just force a specific company on very short notice to shut down operation, is very concerning. What is even more concerning is that a lot of people here tend to agree because of the China thing. If it is that important, why is there no law that enforces this?

As much as the US government would like people to believe otherwise, things like laws goes out the window pretty quickly when it comes to geopolitics. This isn't a new thing in the US either. Maybe just more people are realizing it recently.

The farce at the UN Security Council that Colin Powell made years ago spelled that out pretty clearly already. If anything, it somewhat formally respected the role of the UN, but the brazen lying asserted how the USA wasn’t worried at all of the consequences

Re: TikTok CEO Kevin Mayer to leave the company

#85

Post by martin_a »

michannne wrote: post #59
netsharc wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The joke is, kids/K-Pop fans communicated on TikTok to "prank" Trump by buying tickets to his rally and not showing up, making him look bad, and 10 days later Trump started roaring about the app. Of course Fox News, etc, claim "this Chinese app is subverting democracy", etc, but IMHO they were just using it to communicate...

I would hope the majority of people who are aware of international affairs do not think so lowly of the American people, so dimly of American government, and so shallowly of international politics, that they'd believe our president would (or be allowed to, for that matter) coordinate a government-wide subversion campaign with far-reaching consequences over a prank

We're still talking about Donald "grab them by the pussy" Trump here, aren't we?

ANYTHING is possible in the USA since that guy got president.

Re: TikTok CEO Kevin Mayer to leave the company

#86

Post by threeseed »

umeshunni wrote: post #34
data4lyfe wrote: post #6

I'm confused on why he's leaving. Is the political scope of the role too much for him and/or is this not the role he intended to occupy?

The most likely reason is that they are very close to a deal (to sell the US operations) and the buyer wants him out.

It's likely not that they want him out.

But that he would go from CEO to a middle manager a dozen or so rungs in the ladder down from Satya or Larry.

Re: TikTok CEO Kevin Mayer to leave the company

#87

Post by threeseed »

ffggvv wrote: post #24
data4lyfe wrote: post #6

I'm confused on why he's leaving. Is the political scope of the role too much for him and/or is this not the role he intended to occupy?

i think he wanted to be a ceo. with the acquisition he could run the tiktok subsidiary of microsoft or something but wanted more power i’m guessing

How did that work out for the founders of Instagram ?

And even though the acquiring company is usually genuine about giving them autonomy often circumstances change and they need to be reined back in.

Re: TikTok CEO Kevin Mayer to leave the company

#88

Post by ohwellnevermind »

insidepgsmind wrote: post #73
tomc1985 wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What makes you think that? The Russian government just poisoned another opposition thinker, these things are not beyond the pale. North Korea hired a couple of pretty girls to kill a renegade brother or somesuch in public . China has disappeared people over just a few wrong words If I were in that position I'd make sure I have at least a couple bodyguards, and good ones at that

Worlds of difference between those countries and functioning democracies.

Jeffery Epstein seems to be a similar situation.

Re: TikTok CEO Kevin Mayer to leave the company

#89

Post by iKevinShah »

yibg wrote: post #71
koonsolo wrote: post #64

As a European I find this whole story very confusing. A president that can just force a specific company on very short notice to shut down operation, is very concerning. What is even more concerning is that a lot of people here tend to agree because of the China thing. If it is that important, why is there no law that enforces this?

As much as the US government would like people to believe otherwise, things like laws goes out the window pretty quickly when it comes to geopolitics. This isn't a new thing in the US either. Maybe just more people are realizing it recently.

I am neither a US Citizen or a resident BUT this is not only about "geopolitics" but more about National Security too. There's literally a law in China which states you have to provide "crucial information for review" to the government if asked. You(the firm operating in China) cant deny that. Period. That itself is scary, regardless of whether or not politics / geopolitics is involved.

The law (Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China_Internet_Security_Law) :

> Regarding the requirements for spot-checks and certifications, international law firms have warned that companies could be asked to provide source code, encryption, or other crucial information for review by the authorities, increasing the risk of this information being lost, passed on to local competitors, or used by the authorities themselves.

Re: TikTok CEO Kevin Mayer to leave the company

#90

Post by pjmlp »

yibg wrote: post #71
koonsolo wrote: post #64

As a European I find this whole story very confusing. A president that can just force a specific company on very short notice to shut down operation, is very concerning. What is even more concerning is that a lot of people here tend to agree because of the China thing. If it is that important, why is there no law that enforces this?

As much as the US government would like people to believe otherwise, things like laws goes out the window pretty quickly when it comes to geopolitics. This isn't a new thing in the US either. Maybe just more people are realizing it recently.

As European, that belongs to the first generation out of a dictorship, another thing that surprises me is the American belief that three letter agencies care about any law besides their own internal regulations.

Even in the current democracy state, is my expectation that our own ones across the European states will do whatever it takes, with various degrees of flexibility.

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