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TikTok and Microsoft’s Clock

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Re: TikTok and Microsoft’s Clock

#31

Post by lovetocode »

chvid wrote: post #3

Where is EU in this embarrassment? Suppose Margrethe Vestager called and said TikTok, you are banned unless you let a "very european" company take over your business? And by the way. We would like a cut. And would the US still being able to say "national security" if it was fully owned by German business running on servers in some Swiss mountain?

Because the Chinese cyber threat is incredibly real. The United States should be playing hard ball. The US TikTok systems are compromised by Chinese spammers already.

Re: TikTok and Microsoft’s Clock

#32

Post by dkobia »

The United States loses the moral high ground moving forward and Microsoft gets a blemished gem. The machinations of this deal are unsightly. Just because this is how the game is played in China doesn't mean we have to do it too.

Re: TikTok and Microsoft’s Clock

#33

Post by bryanrasmussen »

_pmf_ wrote: post #29
chvid wrote: post #3

Where is EU in this embarrassment? Suppose Margrethe Vestager called and said TikTok, you are banned unless you let a "very european" company take over your business? And by the way. We would like a cut. And would the US still being able to say "national security" if it was fully owned by German business running on servers in some Swiss mountain?

> Suppose Margrethe Vestager called and said TikTok, you are banned unless you let a "very european" company take over your business? This would make sense if the EU had any company remotely capable of being able to afford this.

https://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/global500/2005/europ...

Re: TikTok and Microsoft’s Clock

#34

Post by chvid »

_pmf_ wrote: post #29
chvid wrote: post #3

Where is EU in this embarrassment? Suppose Margrethe Vestager called and said TikTok, you are banned unless you let a "very european" company take over your business? And by the way. We would like a cut. And would the US still being able to say "national security" if it was fully owned by German business running on servers in some Swiss mountain?

> Suppose Margrethe Vestager called and said TikTok, you are banned unless you let a "very european" company take over your business? This would make sense if the EU had any company remotely capable of being able to afford this.

Hey ... we can print money too ...

Re: TikTok and Microsoft’s Clock

#35

Post by rrdharan »

bryanrasmussen wrote: post #33
_pmf_ wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Suppose Margrethe Vestager called and said TikTok, you are banned unless you let a "very european" company take over your business? This would make sense if the EU had any company remotely capable of being able to afford this.

https://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/global500/2005/europ...

That’s sorted by revenue not cash on the balance sheet. Here’s a more salient list:

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/11/07/microsoft-apple-and-alphabet...

Re: TikTok and Microsoft’s Clock

#36

Post by xvector »

dkobia wrote: post #32

The United States loses the moral high ground moving forward and Microsoft gets a blemished gem. The machinations of this deal are unsightly. Just because this is how the game is played in China doesn't mean we have to do it too.

“Nice rapidly-growing foreign service you have there. It would be a shame if we called it a ‘national security risk’ and made you sell it to us for pennies on the dime!”

Re: TikTok and Microsoft’s Clock

#37

Post by londons_explore »

pjc50 wrote: post #24
czzr wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Apparently yes: A transaction of the type the president envisions could also prove more expensive than the one Microsoft described on Sunday. Trump said Monday that part of the amount paid to buy TikTok would have to come to the U.S. Treasury Department because it would be making the deal possible. “It’s a little bit like the landlord/tenant; without a lease the tenant has nothing, so they pay what’s called ‘key mone…

> So, to summarise: the president of the United States is openly advocating applying illegal real estate extortion/bribery practices to major M&A deals with geopolitical implications Well, yes, because he's spent his entire career doing that and now he's President. See the case the NY AG is building against him.

Is it any different than just having a tax on purchasing foreign companies?

It's the same as a tax on purchasing foreign goods, which is already in place for goods from China in the form of tariffs.

Re: TikTok and Microsoft’s Clock

#38

Post by tekkk »

dkobia wrote: post #32

The United States loses the moral high ground moving forward and Microsoft gets a blemished gem. The machinations of this deal are unsightly. Just because this is how the game is played in China doesn't mean we have to do it too.

This is nothing new in global politics. Just take a one look at Middle East to see how the world has been since the dawn of human civilization. Not saying it is right, a bit of throwback to the days of yonder perhaps, but I'm not surprised or shocked. Although I'm still doubtful it's going to happen.

Re: TikTok and Microsoft’s Clock

#39

Post by xvector »

puranjay wrote: post #22
mcintyre1994 wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm probably being stupid, but how is that not absolutely terrifying for US companies? The deal seems to be that all acquisition of foreign companies has to have a kickback to the treasury because they could always just ban the company you bought otherwise?

This entire thing saddens me a great deal. It seems that you can just whip people up into a frenzy - even th HN crowd - simply by shouting "national security" and providing no proof to back it up. Has everyone really forgotten Saddam's WMDs so quickly?

I too was surprised that the HN crowd supported Trump’s and Microsoft’s actions so much. The people here are fairly intelligent and tend to have a good education. We are no stranger to history. We know that “national security risk” has been used to justify terrifying programs like PRISM and the Patriot Act.

And despite having this in mind, so many folks here just openly supported what is effectively a hostile and coercive takeover of a foreign corporation.

If some of the most educated people in this country can fall victim to populist xenophobia then I don’t have much hope for us overall.

Re: TikTok and Microsoft’s Clock

#40

Post by jacobush »

puranjay wrote: post #22
mcintyre1994 wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm probably being stupid, but how is that not absolutely terrifying for US companies? The deal seems to be that all acquisition of foreign companies has to have a kickback to the treasury because they could always just ban the company you bought otherwise?

This entire thing saddens me a great deal. It seems that you can just whip people up into a frenzy - even th HN crowd - simply by shouting "national security" and providing no proof to back it up. Has everyone really forgotten Saddam's WMDs so quickly?

Not really. We know private data is being weaponised, it’s just that we as a society have turned a blind eye to it when it’s domestic companies doing it. Right or wrong, possibly because we believe in the checks and balances here. When it comes to China, partly because of prejudice I guess, but also because of the evidence. There you get thrown into forced labour when electronic surveillance indicates you should be.

We are not quite that bad here. (Yet, I guess, if we don’t turn the tide.)

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