Bernard Leong’s Post

Fresh out of the studio, Jing Yang, the Asia Bureau Chief for The Information, provided an insightful analysis of the potential implications of the recent U.S. House of Representatives bill to force Bytedance to divest TikTok or face a ban in the US. Detailing a timeline of events, she illuminated how ByteDance and TikTok executives may have misinterpreted U.S. political signals. Despite Bytedance's profitability in China, she shed light on why TikTok is facing financial challenges and the complex dynamics between Bytedance and the investors of the company. Concluding her discussion, she offered her perspectives on the possible future of TikTok globally pending the outcome. "If we assume that happens, I'm sure TikTok, let alone ByteDance as a company as a whole, will survive - and maybe even continue to thrive after this. Because, let's put things into perspective, right? TikTok has more than 1 billion users globally and then the US represents just a little over a 10th of that, 170 million. So I'm not saying that it's not going to impact TikTok and ByteDance. But does it pose an existential threat? Probably not. I believe given we already talked about how ByteDance has been super profitable. I think that, even if they get banned in the US, this is by no means the end of TikTok or ByteDance." - Jing Yang You can watch the full video here: https://lnkd.in/gRSdEgr2

***How Tiktok managed to crack the outside China market?*** This is a very very interesting yet a long read (case study) with some fresh perspectives on how a business can be purely built on the entertainment capital, capitalising on algorithms. Shravan Tickoo - where do you get such articles from? This left me hungry for more for sure 😁 https://lnkd.in/gzYw-3fa

on #tiktok: (1) if the senate approves and biden signs it, chances are high that the chinese gov forces bytedance to rather burn tiktok down than selling it to a US company. amazing to see that everyone in dc assumes bytedance would sell. (2) going to be a feast for lawyers. direct impact on the revenue of plenty of people, free speech considerations... going to be a story with many chapters. (3) most concerning: the "theory of harm" behind the ban has never been described in detail nor pressure-tested. data handling of tiktok is not different from other social media platforms, no evidence of ccp influence on operations so far - so it basically all rests on the risk of a future influence of ccp / misinformation campaigns. how big is this risk? what is the threshold? given the state of misinformation spread by US-owned social platforms it is clear why such benchmarking never has happened. reflects (1) the sorry state of digital regulation in the US, (2) the reflex to project internal problems on china no matter what. (3) if you are teen and tiktok is part of your life, you will be really p... by old dudes in dc making rules that interfere with your private life quite radically. might hurt biden more than trump. most geotech statecraft proposals are bad policy, but good politics. in the tiktok ban case, we have a case of bad policy / bad politics. #china #geopolitics #geotech #techcoldwar

93/n. #goingeast2024. #axelspringer In the Taiwan segment of our #aiexpedition, combating disinformation occupies a significant space. How can we detect and label fake news, not least with the help of GenAI? And how can we highlight trustworthy information? These are the questions that arise. But it is also clear: As long as #TikTok remains under the influence of the regime in Beijing, the international fight against fake news simply cannot be won. Because the notion that what happens on TikTok merely reflects the preferences of the users without any manipulation being involved is a myth. How else can it be that, at times, more than 98% of U.S. views of content related to the Israel-Hamas war carried a pro-Palestinian hashtag? But there's hope ... on Thursday, a U.S. Congress Committee voted 50-0 to advance a bill that would give China's ByteDance 6 months to divest from TikTok. https://lnkd.in/d3p7qZZ5

Recent findings from a Reuters/Ipsos poll shed light on American perceptions of TikTok, revealing concerns about its potential as a tool for Chinese influence. With bipartisan worries about data security and foreign manipulation, discussions about TikTok's future have reached a critical juncture. Are you curious about the implications of these findings and the ongoing debate surrounding TikTok's presence in the United States? Dive deeper into the analysis at https://lnkd.in/daE93XeR #TikTok #China #Influence #DigitalAge

TikTok's Chinese parent company ByteDance says it has no intention of selling the business after the US passed a law to force it to sell the hugely popular video app or be banned in America. According to TikTok, ByteDance's Chinese founder owns 20% of shares, through a controlling stake in the company. About 60% is owned by #institutionalinvestors, including major US investment firms The Carlyle Group, General Atlantic, and Susquehanna International Group, LLP (SIG) . The remaining 20% is owned by its employees around the world and 3 of ByteDance's 5 board members are American. The Chinese government has also dismissed such concerns as paranoia and has warned that a TikTok ban would "inevitably come back to bite the US". However, TikTok is not facing an immediate ban in the US. The new law gives ByteDance nine months to sell the business, and an additional three-month grace period, before a potential ban can be enforced. That means the sale deadline would most likely come some time in 2025, after the winner of the 2024 presidential election takes office. #GlobalRivalry #TechWar #TradeWar #TechTrends #TechCompanies #ChineseCompanies #EconomicWar #Geopolitics #Diplomacy #Geostrategy #CorporateStrategy #Strategy #Politics #WorldPolitics #ForeignRelations #ForeignAffairs #ForeignPolicy https://lnkd.in/gfTdgdzs

Why Tiktok is the Trojan horse for the US? I'm always fascinated by the intersection of business and geopolitics. Today's news about the potential TikTok ban is a prime example. The US House is voting on a bill to force a sale of TikTok from its Chinese parent company ByteDance. The concern? China using the platform to manipulate American youth and sow discord. Here's why this is a big deal: Viral Misinformation: Scary economic takes and pro-Hamas content are flooding young people's feeds. Is it organic, or is China pulling the strings? Missing Narrative or a quite brainwashing: You will never find any content critical of China, while pro-Beijing narratives thrive on Tiktok. Who should control the Algorithm?: Should China decide what Americans see? Imagine a Soviet news network for young Americans in the Cold War. That's the potential fear with TikTok. What do you think? Should the US force a sale of TikTok? #geopolitics #tiktok #american bills

Explore the vibrant landscape of Chinese digital trends, innovations, and market updates in our weekly #ChinaDigitalDigest : 🇨🇳 Zhang Nan Resigns as CEO of Douyin Group to Focus on ByteDance’s CapCut 🇨🇳 US Lawmakers Push To Put TikTok-Parent ByteDance On Export Control List 🇨🇳 Biden Campaign Joins TikTok, Despite US Security Concerns With App 🇨🇳 Digital Red Packets Drive Record Online Transactions on Chinese New Year’s Eve Don't miss out on important insights that could shape your digital strategy. #digitaltrends #socialmediatrends #ClickInsights https://ow.ly/gTln50QFeuh

Given the uncertain fate of #TikTok, I thought it could be interesting to imagine who will prevail if TikTok's Chinese owner #ByteDance is forced to divest. It is the latest escalation of a silicon curtain, walling off global technology into separate armed camps. Anything is possible in a U.S. election year, with American lawmakers' anxiety related to China standing as one of the sole remaining points of policy consensus. Many people are striving to figure out who stands to gain, and who stands to lose, if America were to pull the plug on this viral Chinese import. My latest Forbes article outlines the implications of a potential ban and where the fallout may be, impact on investors, and the winners - Big Tech, Big Law, Parents - in such a scenario. Welcome any thoughts and discussion. #China #CapitalMarkets #SocialMedia https://lnkd.in/epERmm58

The clock is ticking for Beijing-based ByteDance to either sell TikTok's US operations or shut it down. The U.S. Senate voted late Tuesday by a wide margin to send legislation to President Joe Biden that could lead to a TikTok ban. If he signs the bill, as he is expected to do, TikTok would be forced to find a new owner within months or be banned from the United States entirely. The Chinese government is on the record opposing a sale as it does not want ByteDance to give up TikTok's algorithm. The ramifications are profound. The world could be further split into two tech spheres -- one aligned with the US, and the other aligned with China. National University of Singapore lecturer Alex Capri says: "A ban is a loss of soft power for Beijing, what little it has in the West. But a ban in the US will spark renewed efforts to spread China’s digital footprint in Southeast Asia, and other mostly developing markets world wide." The latest. https://lnkd.in/gbikU3DS