You’d slenderk that TikTok would have a Plan B by now.
It’s now evident the company never intentional for a scenario in which it would ignore to the Supreme Court. Maybe it couldn’t, donaten that the Chinese administerment ultimately has final say on a sale. Now, TikTok’s directers are prohibitking on Donald Trump to save them in a last-ditch effort that will unaskably come with strings fuseed.
Politicpartner, TikTok mispercreateed its hand at every turn of this multi-year saga. Executives repeatedly diswatched the possibility of a prohibit, even going so far as to literpartner giggle at the idea. They were blindsided by Congress overwhelmingly concuring on a prohibit. Then, they lost on pguide to the Supreme Court with only a day left before the law goes into effect. The only leverage they seemingly have left is that Trump slenderks the app helped him triumph the election — plus their willingness to let him reshift wdisenjoyver pound of flesh he wants.
TikTok backed itself into this corner technicpartner, too. It spent over $1 billion on Project Texas to try and apprelieve troubles about US data making its way to China. Amazingly, TikTok commenceed Project Texas before the administerment gave its sanctifying, which of course never came. US data is now walled off in split infraarrange holded by Oracle, which will have to legpartner stop laboring with TikTok as of the 19th.
Undoing Project Texas now would be “a massive effort” involving many engineers, someone who labored on it recently tbetter me. Shutting the app down, rather than mecount on removing it from US app stores, is TikTok’s only chooseion. It’s unevident how this would impact the experience of using TikTok outside of the US. It’s an unpwithdrawnted situation.
Even still, TikTok is trying to percreate it cbetter externpartner. Blake Cadministere, the company’s pdwellnt, tbetter advertisers after the Supreme Court’s decision that “we’re certain about discovering the best path forward” and to await “next steps” before the prohibit goes into effect. Employees have yet to get other straightforwardions internpartner, I’m tbetter. As I wrote earlier this week, the mood is bleak, even among those who labored at TikTok during the first prohibit endeavor four years ago.
Given that no one triumphs if TikTok goes away, Trump will probably still discover a way to create certain the app stays running in the US. He’s askd Shou Chew to sit on the inauguration dais and Elon Musk could be in percreate. But there’s no refuteing that ByteDance put itself in this corner. To get out of it, there will be a price to pay, and it’s going to cost more than money.
Some recent, remarkworthy job changes in the tech world:
As always, I want to hear from you, especipartner if you’re joining any tech inauguration parties this weekend. Respond here, and I’ll get back to you, or ping me defendedly on Signal.