4 ms·

>Only figuratively in the hacker/gamer sense. TikTok is owned by ByteSense. No, in the very literal sense that Bytedance has a board of directors, and on that

>Only figuratively in the hacker/gamer sense. TikTok is owned by ByteSense. No, in the very literal sense that Bytedance has a board of directors, and on that board is a CCP member who has the real final say on everything the company does. When you are a business in China, you defacto work for the government. China isn't America with a red flag, it's a fundamentally different system. Too many people think they know China because they understand America. If Biden wants instagram showing people pictures of ponies, it simply isn't going to happen. If Xi wants tiktok to show people ponies, the next day every kid in america will be looking at ponies.

pessimizer 4y ago
> No, in the very literal sense that Bytedance has a board of directors, and on that board is a CCP member who has the real final say on everything the company does. When you are a business in China, you defacto work for the government. Would you say the same thing if they employed CIA and NSA people in executive positions, and had ex-generals and ex-spooks on the board?
- Workaccount2 4y ago
  No. A CIA agent might have ulterior motives being on a board, but they are just another board member (I also doubt many board members are secretly CIA). Every company in China however answers directly to the part, and every board has a party member on it, who holds 100% of the voting power. There really isn't a comparison to be made.
shkkmo 4y ago
> No, in the very literal sense that Bytedance has a board of directors, The board of directors of a company are not generally owners. > and on that board is a CCP member who has the real final say on everything the company does Which is why it's figuratively true in the "pwn" sense, but not literally true. Wording matters, and so does getting the facts right.
- Workaccount2 4y ago
  No, it is literally true that every company has a party member they must answer too. Whether its a board member or a local party representative. There is no business autonomy with a court to settle differences. The party wants it, the party gets it. Full Stop. >The board of directors of a company are not generally owners. Like I said, China is not America. On Chinese Boards sits a party member who has absolute control. China doesn't care what function American boards typically serve.
  - shkkmo 4y ago
    > No, it is literally true that every company has a party member they must answer too. Whether its a board member or a local party representative. Which still doesn't make it literally true that: "The Chinese government owns tiktok", (unless, in addition to using "own" figuratively you are also using "literal" in the now common sense that actually means "figurative").
    - Workaccount2 4y ago
      We're not talking about America. Chinese companies are defacto arms of the chinese government. It's a communist country. Any sense of private ownership is just a sense, it doesn't really exist. I don't know how many times we have to go in this circle until we get through that dense skull. If you think you understand Chinese business because you understand western business - you don't.

pessimizer 4y ago

> No, in the very literal sense that Bytedance has a board of directors, and on that board is a CCP member who has the real final say on everything the company does. When you are a business in China, you defacto work for the government. Would you say the same thing if they employed CIA and NSA people in executive positions, and had ex-generals and ex-spooks on the board?

Workaccount2 4y ago
No. A CIA agent might have ulterior motives being on a board, but they are just another board member (I also doubt many board members are secretly CIA). Every company in China however answers directly to the part, and every board has a party member on it, who holds 100% of the voting power. There really isn't a comparison to be made.

shkkmo 4y ago

> No, in the very literal sense that Bytedance has a board of directors, The board of directors of a company are not generally owners. > and on that board is a CCP member who has the real final say on everything the company does Which is why it's figuratively true in the "pwn" sense, but not literally true. Wording matters, and so does getting the facts right.

Workaccount2 4y ago
No, it is literally true that every company has a party member they must answer too. Whether its a board member or a local party representative. There is no business autonomy with a court to settle differences. The party wants it, the party gets it. Full Stop. >The board of directors of a company are not generally owners. Like I said, China is not America. On Chinese Boards sits a party member who has absolute control. China doesn't care what function American boards typically serve.
- shkkmo 4y ago
  > No, it is literally true that every company has a party member they must answer too. Whether its a board member or a local party representative. Which still doesn't make it literally true that: "The Chinese government owns tiktok", (unless, in addition to using "own" figuratively you are also using "literal" in the now common sense that actually means "figurative").
  - Workaccount2 4y ago
    We're not talking about America. Chinese companies are defacto arms of the chinese government. It's a communist country. Any sense of private ownership is just a sense, it doesn't really exist. I don't know how many times we have to go in this circle until we get through that dense skull. If you think you understand Chinese business because you understand western business - you don't.