Tiktok Ban News & Analysis — The Information

Recent Articles about Tiktok Ban

Whatnot CEO Grant LaFontaine. Photo via Getty

Pro Weekly: Big Funding Quarter for Social Commerce

By Akash Pasricha · Apr 18, 2025 9:00am PDT

It’s starting to feel like the heady days of 2021 again—at least in the creator economy. We reported this week that U.S. creator startup funding had its best quarter in four years, according to our Creator Economy Database. Shopping was the category with the largest funding haul. We recorded just two deals in the quarter, but they were big... It’s starting to feel like the heady days of 2021 again—at least in the creator economy. We...

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Creator Economy

Why Trump Could Punt on TikTok—Again

By Kaya Yurieff · Apr 1, 2025 2:00pm PDT

Deal or no deal? President Trump’s Saturday deadline for TikTok to sell its U.S. assets is fast approaching. But Trump has given mixed messages on whether a resolution will be reached by then. On Sunday night, he told reporters on Air Force One that a deal would happen before the deadline. He’s also previously said that he’d be willing to... Deal or no deal? President Trump’s Saturday deadline for TikTok to sell its U.S. assets is fast...

Art by Clark Miller

Predictions 2025: Elon Musk Will Try to Buy TikTok

By Kaya Yurieff · Jan 1, 2025 6:00am PST · 14 comments

At the moment, TikTok is fighting for survival. The Chinese-owned app has been locked in a monthslong legal battle over a law that will ban it in the U.S. on Jan. 19 if it hasn’t cut ties with its parent company, ByteDance. The entire drama is headed for a final showdown next week, with the company planning to argue for its existence in front of... At the moment, TikTok is fighting for survival. The Chinese-owned app has been locked in a...

Photos via Getty

ByteDance Planned to Spend $7 Billion on Nvidia Chips Next Year

By Qianer Liu and Juro Osawa · Dec 30, 2024 6:00am PST

Photos via Getty

ByteDance Planned to Spend $7 Billion on Nvidia Chips Next Year

By Qianer Liu and Juro Osawa · Dec 30, 2024 6:00am PST

ByteDance continues to use Nvidia’s most advanced artificial intelligence chips despite U.S. efforts to block Chinese companies from using them. The Chinese owner of TikTok recently told suppliers it planned to spend up to $7 billion to access Nvidia chips outside China in 2025, according to a person who has been involved in the plan.... ByteDance continues to use Nvidia’s most advanced artificial intelligence chips despite...

The E. Barrett Prettyman U.S. Court House in Washington, DC. Photo by Getty.

TikTok’s Lifespan Shortens

By Martin Peers · Dec 6, 2024 3:00pm PST

TikTok’s chances of avoiding a ban are fast diminishing. The DC Appeals Court’s decision today, affirming the law passed earlier this year forcing TikTok to cut its ties with its Chinese parent ByteDance or be banned, was a compelling ruling. It’s hard to imagine that TikTok management would come away from it with any grounds for optimism.To be... TikTok’s chances of avoiding a ban are fast diminishing. The DC Appeals Court’s decision today,...

The E. Barrett Prettyman U.S. Court House in Washington, DC. Photo by Getty.

TikTok CEO Vows to Take Ban Fight to Supreme Court

By Kaya Yurieff, Juro Osawa and Jing Yang · Dec 6, 2024 8:48am PST · 3 comments

TikTok’s hopes of continuing to operate in the U.S. now rest on intervention of the Supreme Court. The Chinese owned app on Friday lost the first round in its legal efforts to block a law requiring it to sever its ties with its parent, ByteDance, or be banned next month. TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew on Friday told the video app’s staff... TikTok’s hopes of continuing to operate in the U.S. now rest on intervention of the Supreme...

Matt Gaetz. Photo via Getty.

What Matt Gaetz’s Attorney General Nomination Means for Tech

By Martin Peers · Nov 13, 2024 5:00pm PST · 2 comments

All those techies and bankers hoping the new Trump administration will relax Joe Biden’s tough antitrust approach might want to think again. Donald Trump on Wednesday said he would nominate Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz as attorney general, putting forward someone who has appeared supportive of Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan and has called... All those techies and bankers hoping the new Trump administration will relax Joe Biden’s tough...

Art by Clark Miller.

ByteDance’s CFO Is IPO Ready, but the Company Isn’t

By Jing Yang and Juro Osawa · Oct 11, 2024 5:00am PDT · 4 comments

Art by Clark Miller.

ByteDance’s CFO Is IPO Ready, but the Company Isn’t

By Jing Yang and Juro Osawa · Oct 11, 2024 5:00am PDT · 4 comments

Until Julie Gao joined ByteDance as chief financial officer two years ago, she was one of the highest-profile initial public offering lawyers in Asia. Over the course of 20 years, she helped take public a succession of Chinese tech giants, including JD.com, Temu parent PDD Holdings and Meituan. The one company Gao hasn’t been able to take... Until Julie Gao joined ByteDance as chief financial officer two years ago, she was one of the...

TikTok offices in Culver City. Photo by Getty

Creator Economy

A Chart Shows TikTok's Growing List of Rivals

By Kaya Yurieff · May 8, 2024 2:00pm PDT

As TikTok kicks off its legal fight against a ban or forced sale of the app in the U.S., our chart below shows just how much competition it faces from other big tech companies, which stand to gain from a potential retreat. While Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts are the two most popular alternatives among creators to TikTok, other... As TikTok kicks off its legal fight against a ban or forced sale of the app in the U.S., our...

VR headsets at the Meta's booth at a trade fair in Germany. Photo by Krisztian Bocsi/Bloomberg via Getty Images.

Creator Economy

Reels Is Eating Instagram; TikTok Lite Gets Muzzled

By Sylvia Varnham O'Regan · Apr 24, 2024 4:15pm PDT

Meta Platforms’ warning of slowing growth and higher expenses Wednesday night sank the stock, which had run up 43% this year. But Meta executives, not surprisingly, focused on the bright spots —among them, video. Instagram Reels—Meta’s answer to TikTok—now makes up 50% of the time spent on the app, a pretty big number when you think about... Meta Platforms’ warning of slowing growth and higher expenses Wednesday night sank the stock,...

Photo By Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile via Getty Images.

TikTok War of Words Ramps Up

By Martin Peers · Mar 11, 2024 5:00pm PDT

We’re in for a long few weeks as the ban-or-sell TikTok bill winds its way through Congress. The few moments of action we’re likely to see—such as this week’s vote in the House of Representatives—will be overwhelmed by lots of rhetorical shadowboxing between the various combatants. Today, for instance, the two congresspeople who sponsored the... We’re in for a long few weeks as the ban-or-sell TikTok bill winds its way through Congress. The...

Dean Phillips photo by Gaelen Morse/Getty Images. Art by Clark Miller

Dean Phillips on His Bid to Disrupt Biden—and Trump

By Scott Thurm · Jan 13, 2024 5:55am PST · 2 comments

Dean Phillips photo by Gaelen Morse/Getty Images. Art by Clark Miller

Q&A

Dean Phillips on His Bid to Disrupt Biden—and Trump

By Scott Thurm · Jan 13, 2024 5:55am PST · 2 comments

Dean Phillips thinks too much government tech policy dwells on the negative. In an interview, the Minnesota congressman—who is mounting a long-shot bid to challenge Joe Biden for the Democratic presidential nomination—said regulations need to prevent “nefarious use” of artificial intelligence, but he’s equally... Dean Phillips thinks too much government tech policy dwells on the negative. In an interview, the...

From left to right: Kim Larson of YouTube, Marc and Heidi D'Amelio of "The D’Amelio Show," and creator Jon Youshaei. Photos: Getty and Jon Youshaei.

Creator Economy

What to Expect at Our Creator Economy Summit

By Kaya Yurieff · Apr 17, 2023 2:24pm PDT

I’m en route to Los Angeles today ahead of The Information’s third annual Creator Economy Summit on Thursday. This is the first time we’re hosting this event in person, and we are so excited to bring together more than 500 registered attendees, including creators, investors and entrepreneurs shaping the creator economy. (We are at full capacity,... I’m en route to Los Angeles today ahead of The Information’s third annual Creator Economy Summit...

Pete Buttigieg Wants Everyone to Buy an EV. Just Not Necessarily From Elon Musk

Pete Buttigieg Wants Everyone to Buy an EV. Just Not Necessarily From Elon Musk

By Jon Steinberg · May 14, 2022 8:00am PDT

Hi, welcome to your Weekend! This was one of those weeks when I was glad that I follow the Doomscrolling Reminder Bot (@Doomscroll_bot) on Twitter. I needed those hourly reminders—“Hi, are you doomscrolling?”—to close the browser window and catch my breath. It’s not every week when $200 billion in crypto goes poof! in a... Hi, welcome to your Weekend! This was one of those weeks when I was glad that I follow the...

Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg testifying remotely at a House Judiciary Subcommittee hearing in July. Photo by Bloomberg

Zuckerberg Talks TikTok in D.C.: The Information’s Tech Briefing

By Martin Peers · Aug 24, 2020 5:55pm PDT

For some time, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has raised red flags about the threat he believes Chinese tech services like TikTok pose to free speech. What, then, was Zuckerberg after when he brought up his concerns about Chinese internet companies and TikTok in meetings last year with President Trump and lawmakers?What he didn’t ask for was... For some time, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has raised red flags about the threat he believes...

Facebook launched its TikTok competitor Reels, a feature of Instagram, into the U.S. and other markets on Wednesday. Photo: Bloomberg

Facebook Takes On TikTok: The Information’s Tech Briefing

By Martin Peers · Aug 5, 2020 6:48pm PDT

Facebook launched its TikTok competitor Reels, a feature of Instagram, into the U.S. and other markets on Wednesday. Photo: Bloomberg

Facebook Takes On TikTok: The Information’s Tech Briefing

By Martin Peers · Aug 5, 2020 6:48pm PDT

Facebook has never been shy about drawing inspiration from competitors. It was already preparing a rival to TikTok—Instagram Reels—even as concern about TikTok’s Chinese ownership reached a fever pitch in recent months. So it wasn’t surprising when Instagram quickly rolled out Reels in India shortly after the government... Facebook has never been shy about drawing inspiration from competitors. It was already preparing...