Even better
ByteDance won't sell TikTok, would rather pull it from the US
Submitted 6 months ago by Dragxito@lemmy.world to technology@lemmy.world
https://www.androidauthority.com/tiktok-ban-bytedance-response-3437786/
Comments
spookex@lemmy.world 6 months ago
scarabic@lemmy.world 6 months ago
There will be a rush of US startups to replace it, and they will all be stage 1 enshittification, so they might actually be good for a while, like TikTok once was.
simplejack@lemmy.world 6 months ago
Or people will just migrate to the YouTube and Insta clones.
pewgar_seemsimandroid@lemmy.blahaj.zone 6 months ago
snapchats spotlight will do the best probably in terms of memes
wick@lemm.ee 6 months ago
YouTube shorts is such a hellhole that tiktokers migrating to it might improve things.
Andromxda@lemmy.dbzer0.com 6 months ago
Still better than the Chinese propaganda machine
kerrigan778@lemmy.world 6 months ago
I see this as a win win
OftenWrong@startrek.website 6 months ago
Of course you do. You’re all just the old man yelling at cloud meme and it’s honestly sad.
Railing5132@lemmy.world 6 months ago
Oh, eat a Hello Kitty lunchbox full of dicks. There’s plenty of reasons to hate on TikTok (and Facebook, insta, YouTube, ad-infinitum/ad-nauseum). They’re a damn cancer on society.
kerrigan778@lemmy.world 6 months ago
Dude, I was there for when Vine was born and for when it died, and Vine didn’t even getpicked up for mass disinformation, and y’know what? Life moved on.
MurphysPaw@sh.itjust.works 6 months ago
Wow people get so upset when you take away their soft core child porn.
SVcross@lemmy.world 6 months ago
You really live up to your username.
Vent@lemm.ee 6 months ago
If they said or implied anything else, they would lose all leverage. The public couldn’t care less about who owns tiktok, so they need people to think they’ll lose it to have any public support.
laxe@lemmy.world 6 months ago
Call their bluff
paris@lemmy.blahaj.zone 6 months ago
It’s probably not a bluff. They’ve pretty much saturated the U.S. market; there’s not much room left to grow here. It would make more sense to focus their efforts on growing in other regions where they have plenty of headroom to increase their userbase and monetization. Depending on how things play out, they could match their current revenue in a matter of years and still have room left to grow. There’s also the potential to re-enter the U.S. market down the line. Why would they throw that all away and essentially create their own competitor by selling their core technology and diluting/confusing their brand with whatever U.S. company they sell to?
NucleusAdumbens@lemmy.world 6 months ago
I’d think the fact they’ve saturated the US market is exactly why it’d be too valuable to give up. They’d lose a ton of revenue, tanking their valuation. They may be better off selling. From there they could prob just clone it and promote a competing service in those unclaimed markets using a portion of the extra sale price they get for maintaining (and selling a product with) US market dominance
wolfshadowheart@slrpnk.net 6 months ago
They’ve pretty much saturated the U.S. market; there’s not much room left to grow here
That… doesn’t make sense to me. So because there’s no room to grow, they pull out of the U.S. and lose the likely ~$1 bil spent on digital stickers for live streamers?
eldavi@lemmy.world 6 months ago
they use the same algorithm across all of their companies so selling it would create a strong competitor and the chinese government is likely to block the sale anyways. tiktok revenue is a small slice of bytedance’s income, so it makes sense to swallow the relatively small loss to keep their product intact when it’s crystal clear that it’s far superior to anything else.
sailingbythelee@lemmy.world 6 months ago
The tiktok algorithm is good in the same sense that cocaine is good.
Not_mikey@slrpnk.net 6 months ago
Is it good or do they just have a massive network and data advantage. If tik tok left and everyone switched over to Instagram reels or YouTube shorts and they had the same amount of data tik tok has I think the experience would converge to whatever was on tik tok in a month or so.
There’s no secret sauce to tik tok, they’re throwing massive amounts of data at a recommendation AI and telling it to optimize for watch time, any sufficiently scaled company can do that nowadays. It’s more a matter of getting and maintaining an audience to create that data and content creators, both of which due to the network effect, and without federation, are drawn to the biggest service, not necessarily to the best.
jaybone@lemmy.world 6 months ago
I love how the media has thrown around the word algorithm. They don’t need to sell their algorithm for a competitor to compete. An algorithm produces some result output. So you could easily clone an algorithm without knowing its exact implementation.
Maybe I know quicksort, but you know mergesort. The customer doesn’t give a fuck which algorithm was used, so long as it’s sorted.
Jaysyn@kbin.social 6 months ago
If money wasn't the point, then influence was. Congress is right to shut them down.
Foreign owned, FARA-unregistered influence operations have never been a facet of "free speech" in the USA.
peopleproblems@lemmy.world 6 months ago
It’s pretty weird that they’d admit it.
The smart move would have been to sell it and take the L, and use the new money to build the next thing.
Maggoty@lemmy.world 6 months ago
Money is still the point. There’s an entire world outside the US.
TheUncannyObserver@lemmy.dbzer0.com 6 months ago
I mean, not on the surface. But lobby groups working for foreign governments operate in Washington to this day, and they’re ignored because Congress doesn’t want to shut the money tap off.
Specal@lemmy.world 6 months ago
They’d lose money in a sale as they’d lose their IP.
JCreazy@midwest.social 6 months ago
US should call their bluff. If Tiktok gets named, people will complain for a little bit until people forget and move on to what’s next. Why doesn’t an American company make something that’s practically identical? People will be all desperate for their 5 second dopamine rush that they will download anything.
ripcord@lemmy.world 6 months ago
Vine.co returns!
Dark_Arc@social.packetloss.gg 6 months ago
I think Elon might just do that based on what I’ve been reading.
niisyth@lemmy.ca 6 months ago
India did this and Instagram reels is the main one that benefited. Probably be the same for US if it pulls through on this.
glacier@lemmy.blahaj.zone 6 months ago
YouTube and Instagram already have identical features. Most creators who post on Tik Tok also use those platforms already
whoreticulture@lemmy.blahaj.zone 6 months ago
They can’t, the algorithm is the best part about tiktok and none of the competitors come close.
havocpants@lemm.ee 6 months ago
That’s interesting, what’s so clever or original about its algorithm?
ArugulaZ@lemmy.zip 6 months ago
It’s Vine time! What? Just… just bring it back. Call it “Kudzu” or some crap if Elon Musk owns the rights to Vine.
mortemtyrannis@lemmy.ml 6 months ago
It’s fre
Free sha voc a doo.
BeMoreCareful@lemmy.world 6 months ago
I honestly think about this a lot. She did a good job with what she was given.
Treczoks@lemmy.world 6 months ago
Could they please pull from Europe, too?
Hildegarde@lemmy.world 6 months ago
Google knew youtube shorts didn’t stand a chance in a fair market.
Vendul@feddit.de 6 months ago
We tried that with facebook in the eu. Didn’t work
TimeSquirrel@kbin.social 6 months ago
Me, an American, to my German cousin:
"So, yeah, I'm changing email addresses, here's my new one."
"Email, what's that? Are you using WhatsApp?"
"Er, no, how about text?"
"We all have WhatsApp."
"Okay, maybe Google Hangouts?"
"WhatsApp? WhatsApp."
LovingHippieCat@lemmy.world 6 months ago
I’ve had basically the same conversation with my sister who lives in Albania. I just want to use something encrypted like signal but she just refuses and says it’s either WhatsApp or Facebook messenger. Cause of that I barely talk to her.
MisterFrog@lemmy.world 6 months ago
Here’s the trick (maybe): “Don’t you know that WhatsApp is owned by Meta and collecting information on your chat metadata (who you chat to, when, your contacts, their contacts).”
Tell them to get Signal. If there’s any country on this planet where convincing people to use Signal is easier, it must be Germany. GMaps streetview was banned there until recently, everyone uses fake names on Facebook, if they even made one in the first place.
Surely they must be amenable to Signal
Andromxda@lemmy.dbzer0.com 6 months ago
We’re gonna try harder next time
moitoi@lemmy.dbzer0.com 6 months ago
Another example of the falling US influence.
UFO64@lemmy.world 6 months ago
Exactly. We spent four years playing into their hands, its going to take us decades to recover from that mistake.
Liz@midwest.social 6 months ago
Nah, they’ll sell. It would be foolish for them to admit it publicly, that would drive down the price. They’d also lose influence in the American media landscape if they killed TikTok. It’s not like selling would really hamper CCP control all that much, they’d just send texts to people’s personal phones when they need something instead of sending official emails.
Semi_Hemi_Demigod@lemmy.world 6 months ago
If the Chinese government is behind this, it’s a great play. Having Joe Biden be “the guy who banned tik tok” would severely undermine his election chances.
TheEighthDoctor@lemmy.world 6 months ago
14 year olds don’t vote
Semi_Hemi_Demigod@lemmy.world 6 months ago
14 year olds aren’t the only people who use Tik Tok
arin@lemmy.world 6 months ago
They were 14 four years ago
zarkanian@sh.itjust.works 6 months ago
Why would China want Biden to lose?
Chakravanti@sh.itjust.works 6 months ago
Because Trump is equivalent to self destruction.
asdfasdfasdf@lemmy.world 6 months ago
Awesome
Andromxda@lemmy.dbzer0.com 6 months ago
Even better
whoreticulture@lemmy.blahaj.zone 6 months ago
Y’all are dumb as hell for supporting this bill. It doesn’t just ban tiktok, it applies to any app with 20% or more ownership by any person/entity from a country that is a “foreign adversary”.
AProfessional@lemmy.world 6 months ago
Im not making a stance on it but this isn’t how I read it.
It seems very focused on “social media” as in software that is about users sharing their own content with other users with 1,000,000 monthly active users.
Its not insanely broad and those that support it on tiktok likely would for other similar services.
Buttons@programming.dev 6 months ago
It lists the foreign adversaries, they aren’t just made up on a whim. Iran, N. Korea, China, Russia.
Where is WhatsApp based?
HiT3k@midwest.social 6 months ago
A lot of the users here are just butthurt anti social media people, not actually principled free speech or rule of law advocates. This ban is arguably unconstitutional and TikTok is being targeted for purely political reasons, not because of any credible threat to “national security.” This is some Patriot Act bullshit, but the clueless mainstream just clamors for it because CNN/Fox spends hours of airtime decrying the dangers of TikTok, and a fraction doing the same for Meta/X/Reddit.
impure9435@kbin.run 6 months ago
TikTok is literally controlled directly by the Chinese government, which is officially considered a foreign adversary (for a good reason)
antlion@lemmy.dbzer0.com 6 months ago
Not sure if you’ve been paying attention but citizens have no say over stuff like this. 99% of the politicians in office were placed there by rich people - they have the only true votes. The bill included money to Ukraine (great), and Israel (WTF), and Taiwan, and TikTok. It shouldn’t be legal to package all that stuff together, but it’s pretty standard. Anyway not sure who you’re talking to - there are like a few hundred politicians who supported this bill, most of them probably for other reasons, and none of them are on Lemmy.
whoreticulture@lemmy.blahaj.zone 6 months ago
Talking about the comments here.
avidamoeba@lemmy.ca 6 months ago
Sorry why should I be against that?
ripcord@lemmy.world 6 months ago
Ok…?
PhlubbaDubba@lemm.ee 6 months ago
…ok? You realize that actually makes it even better right?
SulaymanF@lemmy.world 6 months ago
China does the same.
whoreticulture@lemmy.blahaj.zone 6 months ago
So we should do whatever China does??? Are you ready for the firewall? lmfao
PhlubbaDubba@lemm.ee 6 months ago
They’d basically instantly be undermining literally every narrative they were trying to push about this by doing that lol
All those kids that were defending the shit TikTok pulls because “well American companies do it too!” are really gonna have to get that egg off their faces
Moorshou@lemmy.zip 6 months ago
I’m just baffled, why am I not free to install whatever crap I want onto my phone?
mechoman444@lemmy.world 6 months ago
Let me ask you a question. How do you think they’re going to “ban” TikTok? Remove it from the app store on Google and apple? You’ll still be able to download the app and use it as long as you have the Internet.
KingThrillgore@lemmy.ml 6 months ago
Okay bye Felicia
Linkerbaan@lemmy.world 6 months ago
Nice hope they won’t budge.
nytrixus@lemmy.world 6 months ago
Well, it’s better than what could’ve happened. I’ll accept this.
carl_dungeon@lemmy.world 6 months ago
Bye Felecia
clot27@lemm.ee 6 months ago
For good
thatirishguyyy@lemmy.today 6 months ago
Good?
squid_slime@lemm.ee 6 months ago
I do wonder if this is america being anti communist as history has shown before. Not to say China is actually communist but the economic system is hybrid socialist/capitalist and China is catching up or surpassing america so with this said what’s to say america starts using this tactic against more of chinas Chinese owned exports?
Beyond that america has meta which has done much the same as tiktok, targeting youth, furthering mental health issue, spying, anti trust and coverups yet they get a slap on the wrists.
ghostblackout@lemmy.world 6 months ago
Good 1 less spyware app
SulaymanF@lemmy.world 6 months ago
First, negotiations are not yet over, so they’re hoping courts overturn the ban.
Second, TikTok is very popular outside the US too, though 40% of ad revenue is in the US. They’d survive.
twig@lemmy.dbzer0.com 6 months ago
Excellent
Onii-Chan@kbin.social 6 months ago
Cool, please do.
lung@lemmy.world 6 months ago
Back to Vine we go
FartsWithAnAccent@lemmy.world 6 months ago
Awesome, do META next please!
Imgonnatrythis@sh.itjust.works 6 months ago
Before X?
FartsWithAnAccent@lemmy.world 6 months ago
X seems to be destroying itself without any intervention lol
Duamerthrax@lemmy.world 6 months ago
You can make a good case for breaking up Facebook. Twitter is just twitter and is slowly eating itself. Eventually, the advertisers will see just how much of the userbase are bots and either pull or negotiate for lower rates.
trebuchet@lemmy.ml 6 months ago
But how does that help capitalists make more money by eliminating their competition?
elleybirdy@lemmy.zip 6 months ago
FartsWithAnAccent@lemmy.world 6 months ago
As far as I’m concerned META ruined the Oculus. As soon as they bought them out, I bought a Vive (which has worked great for years).
spyd3r@sh.itjust.works 6 months ago
Never happen, why would the government shut down one of its favorite surveillance tools.