TikTok’s Chinese owner offers to forego stake to clinch U.S. deal

Re: TikTok’s Chinese owner offers to forego stake to clinch U.S. deal – sources

#271

Post by mgraczyk » Sat, Aug 01, 2020, 7:32 PM UTC

philsnow wrote: post #270

kerng wrote: post #265

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think you underestimate the popularity and potential of TikTok and ByteDance at large. It's like Facebook, maybe around 2010-2012, with enormous upward potential - they might even dethrone Facebook and their offerings in the coming years. For the core Facebook app, I wouldnt be surprised if they did that already in a couple of countries.

The promise of "upward potential" of every one of these social media fads is that it could be the "last" one, the Big One that websites and captures every following generation. Do you think that TikTok is The Big One, that will still be growing at the same rate in ten years' time? I don't. Myspace and Facebook are shrinking. Some of the users leaving are going to TikTok, sure, but I don't think that means that it's b…

Facebook is shrinking in some countries, but globally it is still growing in both usage and activity. Check out their recent quarterly results.

Re: TikTok’s Chinese owner offers to forego stake to clinch U.S. deal – sources

#272

Post by cjsawyer » Sat, Aug 01, 2020, 7:32 PM UTC

aledalgrande wrote: post #235

volgo wrote: post #140

The interesting thing is that these platforms come and go. One year it’s Vine, another year it’s Snap, now it’s TikTok. ByteDance bought musically for $1B in 2017 and turned it into Tok. 3 years later, it’s grown like crazy because it’s the latest fad and would be smart for them to cash out before the next new thing hits The whole divestment thing is probably a godsend for ByteDance, “forcing” them to liquidate their…

The interesting thing is that US has bigger problems than TikTok right now.

I see that as the point in Trump’s timing. What other story is being ignoring by focusing on this?

Re: TikTok’s Chinese owner offers to forego stake to clinch U.S. deal – sources

#273

Post by dilap » Sat, Aug 01, 2020, 7:35 PM UTC

sn_master wrote: post #244

dilap wrote: post #180

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Another viewpoint is the US is doing to its citizens what China has been doing to its citizens since forever. I don't see that as a good development!

Having US data in US hands doesn't seem like a terrible development to me. In China, the relationship between tech companies and the government is very close, and none would question any data requests. Its nothing like Apple which openly fights the US government in the supreme court..

Apple fights to not be forced to unlock phones, which is admirable, but they'll happily turn over your iCloud data.

To me the greater outrage is that the president can arbitrarily decide which apps citizens may or may not use. I would like to make that choice for myself, thank you very much.

Re: TikTok’s Chinese owner offers to forego stake to clinch U.S. deal – sources

#274

Post by Ijumfs » Sat, Aug 01, 2020, 7:39 PM UTC

So will they be keeping all the intrusive spyware features as a part of this deal?

Re: TikTok’s Chinese owner offers to forego stake to clinch U.S. deal – sources

#275

Post by one_electron » Sat, Aug 01, 2020, 7:39 PM UTC

volgo wrote: post #140

The interesting thing is that these platforms come and go. One year it’s Vine, another year it’s Snap, now it’s TikTok. ByteDance bought musically for $1B in 2017 and turned it into Tok. 3 years later, it’s grown like crazy because it’s the latest fad and would be smart for them to cash out before the next new thing hits The whole divestment thing is probably a godsend for ByteDance, “forcing” them to liquidate their…

"easy to copy" isn't really a factor here tbh, seeing how tiktok (along with vine, snap, facebook, etc) is a classic example of network effects.

Re: TikTok’s Chinese owner offers to forego stake to clinch U.S. deal – sources

#276

Post by peacefulhat » Sat, Aug 01, 2020, 7:40 PM UTC

RavlaAlvar wrote: post #75

pknerd wrote: post #46

US is doing with China what China did with them. American VCs and business men used to criticize and mock Chinese government for it. Since US is following the footsteps of China, I wonder whether Chinese will be doing what US VCs did?

If US successfully force China to open market, that would be a win for everyone. Of course though, this situation would only occur in fantasy land.

Making the US less open will not make China more open.

Re: TikTok’s Chinese owner offers to forego stake to clinch U.S. deal – sources

#277

Post by seanmcdirmid » Sat, Aug 01, 2020, 7:40 PM UTC

billfruit wrote: post #195

As someone from the third world this leaves a very bad feeling if it happens. I do expect it runs into legal hurdles before that. Neither Apple nor Google have found TikTok problematic enough to delist them from their app stores. Neither is there charges that TikTok may have broken US laws. Banning something which hasn't broken US laws, on arbitrary grounds shouldn't be possible. The President shouldn't have authorit…

Not that it justifies our behavior, but I can’t help but cringe a bit when considering how China locks American companies out of its market but expects better access for Chinese companies in the American market. America-Chinese relations started going downhill in 2009 when China thought it prudent to start blocking most Americans services, America just took a decade to follow up with similar bad behavior.

Re: TikTok’s Chinese owner offers to forego stake to clinch U.S. deal – sources

#278

Post by michaelyoshika » Sat, Aug 01, 2020, 7:44 PM UTC

if you stare into the abyss, the abyss stares back at you

Re: TikTok’s Chinese owner offers to forego stake to clinch U.S. deal – sources

#279

Post by solarhoma » Sat, Aug 01, 2020, 7:47 PM UTC

billfruit wrote: post #195

As someone from the third world this leaves a very bad feeling if it happens. I do expect it runs into legal hurdles before that. Neither Apple nor Google have found TikTok problematic enough to delist them from their app stores. Neither is there charges that TikTok may have broken US laws. Banning something which hasn't broken US laws, on arbitrary grounds shouldn't be possible. The President shouldn't have authorit…

Google and Apple have not delisted tiktok because China is a huge market for the companies. They are playing the part of Switzerland.

Re: TikTok’s Chinese owner offers to forego stake to clinch U.S. deal – sources

#280

Post by andrewPP » Sat, Aug 01, 2020, 7:48 PM UTC

dkobia wrote: post #267

billfruit wrote: post #195

As someone from the third world this leaves a very bad feeling if it happens. I do expect it runs into legal hurdles before that. Neither Apple nor Google have found TikTok problematic enough to delist them from their app stores. Neither is there charges that TikTok may have broken US laws. Banning something which hasn't broken US laws, on arbitrary grounds shouldn't be possible. The President shouldn't have authorit…

As much as I agree and being from a "third world" country myself, I can still remember China banning Facebook and Google in 2009/2010. Everyone has had to bend over backwards to gain access to the Chinese market while giving them free reign to the rest of the world.

Facebook and Google quit China because they didn't want to obey the speech control policy which not as democratic as in the U.S. They could have continued to operate in China had they chosen to follow the rules set up by Chinese regulators.

With the TikTok it is a different story. They are willing to obey all laws of US and the Trump admistration still wants to ban it without sound reason.

This is ridiculous from my point of view because the authoritarian Chinese government allows the US companies to operate in China when they follow their rules, but the democratic US government doesn't allow Chinese companies to operate in the US when they do obey US laws.

The only explanation to me is that the president is thinking in a way similar to curing COVID with disinfectant injection.