What’s now in question is whether it will be around much longer and, if so, in what form?
Starting in 2017, when the Chinese social video app merged with its competitor Musical. ly, TikTok has grown from a niche teen app into a global trendsetter. While, of course, also emerging as a potential national security threat, according to U.S. officials.
On Wednesday, President Joe Biden signed legislation requiring TikTok parent ByteDance to sell to a U.S. owner within a year or to shut down. It’s not clear whether that law will survive an expected legal challenge or that ByteDance would agree to sell.
Here’s how TikTok came to this juncture:
MARCH 2012
ByteDance is founded in China by entrepreneur Zhang Yimin. Its first hit product is Toutiao, a personalized news aggregator for Chinese users.
JULY 2014
Startup Musical.ly, later known for an eponymous app used to post short lipsyncing music videos, is founded in China by entrepreneur Alex Zhu.
JULY 2015
Musical.ly hits #1 in the Apple App Store, following a design change that made the company’s logo visible when users shared their videos.
2016
ByteDance launches Douyin, a video sharing app for Chinese users. Its popularity inspires the company to spin off a version for foreign audiences called TikTok.
NOVEMBER 2017
Byte Dance acquires Musical.ly for $1 billion. Nine months later, ByteDance merges it with TikTok.
Powered by an algorithm that encourages binge-watching, users begin to share a wide variety of video on the app, including dance moves, kitchen food preparation and various “challenges” to perform, record and post acts that range from serious to satirical.
This story is from the May 04, 2024 edition of Techlife News.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the May 04, 2024 edition of Techlife News.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
AUSTRALIA PLANS TO TAX DIGITAL PLATFORMS THAT DON'T PAY FOR NEWS
The Australian government said it will tax large digital platforms and search engines unless they agree to share revenue with Australian news media organizations.
JAPAN'S NISSAN RESHUFFLES MANAGEMENT TO FIX ITS MONEY-LOSING BUSINESS
Embattled Japanese automaker Nissan has tapped Jeremie Papin, who was overseeing its U.S. operations, as its chief financial officer in a major management reshuffle billed as key to a turnaround.
EPA AWARDS $135 MILLION TO CALIFORNIA TO PHASE OUT BIG DIESEL TRUCKS
The Environmental Protection Agency is awarding $135 million in grants to fund 13 projects in California to help the state wean off fossil fuels and phase out big rigs that run on diesel.
NEARLY HALF OF US TEENS ARE ONLINE 'CONSTANTLY,' PEW REPORT FINDS
Nearly half of American teenagers say they are online “constantly” despite concerns about the effects of social media and smartphones on their mental health, according to a new report published by the Pew Research Center.
OPENAI'S LEGAL BATTLE WITH ELON MUSK REVEALS INTERNAL TURMOIL OVER AVOIDING AI 'DICTATORSHIP'
A 7-year-old rivalry between tech leaders Elon Musk and Sam Altman over who should run OpenAI and prevent an artificial intelligence “dictatorship” is now heading to a federal judge as Musk seeks to halt the ChatGPT maker’s ongoing shift into a for-profit company.
TECH TIP: HOW TO PROTECT YOUR COMMUNICATIONS THROUGH ENCRYPTION
After a sprawling hacking campaign exposed the communications of an unknown number of Americans, U.S. cybersecurity officials are advising people to use encryption in their communications.
TRUMP HOSTS APPLE CEO AT MAR-A-LAGO AS BIG TECH LEADERS CONTINUE OUTREACH TO PRESIDENT-ELECT
Donald Trump hosted Apple CEO Tim Cook for a Friday evening dinner at the president-elect's Mar-a-Lago resort, according to a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to comment publicly.
MUSK SAYS US IS DEMANDING HE PAY PENALTY OVER DISCLOSURES OF HIS TWITTER STOCK PURCHASES
Elon Musk says the Securities and Exchange Commission wants him to pay a penalty or face charges involving what he disclosed or failed to disclose - about his purchases of Twitter stock before he bought the social media platform in 2022.
ELON MUSK WANTS TO TURN SPACEX'S STARBASE SITE INTO A TEXAS CITY
SpaceX is launching a new mission: making its Starbase site a new Texas city.
OPENAI RELEASES AI VIDEO GENERATOR SORA BUT LIMITS HOW IT DEPICTS PEOPLE
OpenAl has publicly released its new artificial intelligence video generator Sora but the company won't let most users depict people as it monitors for patterns of misuse.
