Comment on ByteDance prefers TikTok shutdown in US if legal options fail, sources say
TwilightVulpine@lemmy.world 6 months agoNo?
The way you are speaking it’s as if they mean to close down the whole thing. There is a whole rest of the world for them to operate in. Sure losing the US market be a huge detriment, but the owners still might rather have it everywhere else, than keep it running in the US in someone else’s hands.
Jiggle_Physics@lemmy.world 6 months ago
They aren’t being forced to sell their operations in the entire world, just the US. So, doesn’t it make better financial sense, if all legal options to keep control fail, that they sell their US operation to another company, and at least get billions of dollars before exit, than to just lose the market and get not billions?
Maggoty@lemmy.world 6 months ago
They don’t want to seed a competitor with their tech.
Jiggle_Physics@lemmy.world 6 months ago
They are going to get one when a western tech company copies them to fill the vacuum they left. Their only real advantage is their leg-up with their earlier footing. There is nothing particularly interesting in their software, it’s easy to copy, and someone likely will. If they do not that get a copycat, their crowd will move on to some other thing and, being in the same industry, will still be a competitor.
TheRealKuni@lemmy.world 6 months ago
When? Instagram/Facebook Reels are already a blatant copy. And YouTube Shorts is trying.
PresidentCamacho@lemm.ee 6 months ago
A thing never mentioned in these debates is that noone in the world is buying tiktok without buying the underlying algorithm, the same algorithm the app runs on worldwide, the algorithm is the special sauce. They are not going to sell the basis for their app just for a single payday in the US market, which after buying it, they could rebrand and then once successful in the US, compete in the global market against tiktok but with the income of the most lucrative app market in the world behind them. It’s an extremely stupid business move.
wildcardology@lemmy.world 6 months ago
But what if the US version becomes a different version than the rest of the world’s? What if the rest of the world wants that version and demands it?
Jiggle_Physics@lemmy.world 6 months ago
They have a leg up, they would have to use their early footing to compete. If they go, the vacuum of their loss of presence will open a spot for an american tech company to copy them. Either way, they are going to get competition from an american tech company. Nothing they are doing is esoteric in a way that would make them hard to copy. There really is no secret sauce, so to speak, in the software. If they are doing it to hide something then then it lends credence to the US’s accusations, at least it leaves a grey area for that speculation. This gives the US a big avenue to push that they are right and everyone should be cautious of their media business.
Kolanaki@yiffit.net 6 months ago
Then they change it to match.
wildcardology@lemmy.world 6 months ago
How does that work? 1 app 2 companies. Who will follow whom?