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U.S. investors, Trump close in on TikTok deal with China

wsj.com

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Re: U.S. investors, Trump close in on TikTok deal with China

#311

Post by basisword »

gpt5 wrote: post #205

Key details: 1. New, US-specific TikTok App, separate from the main TikTok app in content and users. 2. 80% owned by a U.S. investor consortium led by Oracle, Silver Lake, and Andreessen Horowitz, 20% by Bytedance. 3. Board will include one U.S. government–appointed director. 4. All U.S. user data would sit on Oracle infrastructure in the US. 5. Algorithm will be initially licensed, but has to be reengineered to comp…

>> US-specific TikTok App, separate from the main TikTok app in content and users

Very interesting! The separate "in content" bit in particular. Sounds like US TikTok will now be one giant echo chamber. Users outside the US will miss some US content but tbh, I find TikTok content is actually quite localised anyway. Big benefits for users outside the US are:

1. US doesn't get my data.

2. Hopefully less US political BS to swipe past.

3. I am much less concerned with the sway China has on Western Europe than the sway the US has and am therefore much happier using a China-backed version of the app sans US content/users/control/propaganda. The extreme brain rot causing people outside the US to care about 'MAGA' or that recently assassinated man will hopefully start to recede. That can only be a good thing. We have plenty of our own polarising issues without importing irrelevant ones.

Re: U.S. investors, Trump close in on TikTok deal with China

#312

Post by neilv »

Questions regarding the US government-appointed director (CCP style?)...

IIUC, Oracle has strong connections to the CIA, and Andreessen the person lately seems right-wing activist.

1. Under the current administration, maybe it doesn't much matter that there's a government monitor?

2. But if a more left-wing administration comes back into power, then a government appointee there could help moderate the other influences?

Re: U.S. investors, Trump close in on TikTok deal with China

#313

Post by basisword »

mrtksn wrote: post #308
gpt5 wrote: post #205

Key details: 1. New, US-specific TikTok App, separate from the main TikTok app in content and users. 2. 80% owned by a U.S. investor consortium led by Oracle, Silver Lake, and Andreessen Horowitz, 20% by Bytedance. 3. Board will include one U.S. government–appointed director. 4. All U.S. user data would sit on Oracle infrastructure in the US. 5. Algorithm will be initially licensed, but has to be reengineered to comp…

That’s very interesting, I wonder if the toxicity of the American culture wars can be contained this way. Also, I see creators, trying to create US based TikTok accounts because they believe that this way their content will be shown to Americans, which are better monetized. If that’s the case, I wonder if international creator will move to the American TikTok for the better payout. It the international creators stay…

>> I wonder if international creator will move to the American TikTok for the better payout.

If I were China I would do this deal and then ensure that the payout is better outside the US. Try to sway US content creators to use VPN's and post outside the US and essentially limit the impact of the deal.

Re: U.S. investors, Trump close in on TikTok deal with China

#314

Post by roughly »

gpt5 wrote: post #205

Key details: 1. New, US-specific TikTok App, separate from the main TikTok app in content and users. 2. 80% owned by a U.S. investor consortium led by Oracle, Silver Lake, and Andreessen Horowitz, 20% by Bytedance. 3. Board will include one U.S. government–appointed director. 4. All U.S. user data would sit on Oracle infrastructure in the US. 5. Algorithm will be initially licensed, but has to be reengineered to comp…

> 5. Algorithm will be initially licensed, but has to be reengineered to comply with the law.

The government board director is one thing, but what exactly does this mean?

Re: U.S. investors, Trump close in on TikTok deal with China

#315

Post by dr-detroit »

mrtksn wrote: post #308
gpt5 wrote: post #205

Key details: 1. New, US-specific TikTok App, separate from the main TikTok app in content and users. 2. 80% owned by a U.S. investor consortium led by Oracle, Silver Lake, and Andreessen Horowitz, 20% by Bytedance. 3. Board will include one U.S. government–appointed director. 4. All U.S. user data would sit on Oracle infrastructure in the US. 5. Algorithm will be initially licensed, but has to be reengineered to comp…

That’s very interesting, I wonder if the toxicity of the American culture wars can be contained this way. Also, I see creators, trying to create US based TikTok accounts because they believe that this way their content will be shown to Americans, which are better monetized. If that’s the case, I wonder if international creator will move to the American TikTok for the better payout. It the international creators stay…

[dead]

Re: U.S. investors, Trump close in on TikTok deal with China

#316

Post by yibg »

JumpCrisscross wrote: post #239
cultofmetatron wrote: post #228

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm gonna go on a limb and guess that since its a social media platform where people have been widely protesting a zionist led genocide by a Israel. the fact that the investor is a zionist and Israel supporter is probably very relevant. more or less akin to a coal miner operator taking control over the EPA even.

> the fact that the investor is a zionist and Israel supporter is probably very relevant To that issue, sure. What's being missed is that any buyer Trump signed off on would need to align with his views.

I don't think it was missed. It was just so obvious that it didn't need to be called out explicitly.

Re: U.S. investors, Trump close in on TikTok deal with China

#317

Post by ferguess_k »

thrance wrote: post #165
ferguess_k wrote: post #154

Just don't use it. Regardless of who is in control, Tiktok is basically an app designed by some of the smartest minds in the world to get you addicted. I already observed the brainrot similar apps caused to my parents, and for hell I won't allow my kid to touch it whenever I have control. Whether you "learned" anything from it is irrelevant too -- you can always learn better with books, classes, and heck even YouTube…

Just "not using it" doesn't ward off from the deleterious societal consequences of such a powerful propaganda tool simply existing.

It's the best I can do honestly. As another commentater mentioned, what can I do if my son's friends use it extensively? I don't know TBH -- the best I can do is to not give him a smart phone too early and try to grow him some other hobbies before brainrot reaches him.

Re: U.S. investors, Trump close in on TikTok deal with China

#318

Post by ferguess_k »

conductr wrote: post #286
ferguess_k wrote: post #154

Just don't use it. Regardless of who is in control, Tiktok is basically an app designed by some of the smartest minds in the world to get you addicted. I already observed the brainrot similar apps caused to my parents, and for hell I won't allow my kid to touch it whenever I have control. Whether you "learned" anything from it is irrelevant too -- you can always learn better with books, classes, and heck even YouTube…

I feel like short form video is inherently addictive, what special sauce are these smartest minds in the world using that adds to that? I've never used it, but since YouTube introduced Shorts I've become victim to the addiction and subsequently blocked any trace of Shorts with a browser extension.

I think the way they make recommendations are pretty good (looking over my wife's shoulder sometimes). But that's just my guess, I mean, it could just be pushing the next best viewed video from the same tag.

Re: U.S. investors, Trump close in on TikTok deal with China

#319

Post by jay_kyburz »

SilverbeardUnix wrote: post #207
Animats wrote: post #196

With, apparently, a board member appointed by the Trump administration. The U.S Steel deal included three board seats, but the Intel deal did not include any. This is starting to look like the way China does things, with the central government having a financial stake in important companies.

I'm not a fan of the administration by any means but a lot of democracies do this. Public/Private partnerships are commonplace in Europe.

Yeah, I don't mind the public profiting if public money and or concessions were made to set up the business. And especially for bailouts!

Re: U.S. investors, Trump close in on TikTok deal with China

#320

Post by elzbardico »

geodel wrote: post #290
elzbardico wrote: post #264

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Compared to Larry Ellison, Kim Jong-un strikes me as a supreme humanist, a beacon of goodness and generosity.

Indeed. And since you are so nice to Kim he can get a job as remote IT worker.

Oh my. Forgot that nowadays people need to be explicitly warned about sarcasm or irony as they tend to interpret everything literally
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