3 ms·

Oh man the "sell Tiktok" thing is just pure corporate welfare for whatever US-based BigCo buys Tiktok. Spoiler alert, it will be one of the BigCo's that enthusi

Oh man the "sell Tiktok" thing is just pure corporate welfare for whatever US-based BigCo buys Tiktok. Spoiler alert, it will be one of the BigCo's that enthusiastically lobbied for this bill. Regulatory capture at its finest, in service of a social media tri-opoly. Microsoft and Google must be absolutely salivating right now, imagine being able to buy your way into operating a major social network in 2024, and not only do the Feds not come after you for antitrust, they actually mandate the sale and greenlight it in advance!

no_wizard 2y ago
In this instance someone will gain something short term, I readily acknowledge. That said, how is this different from Chinas long standing economic policies that have effectively banned many western companies from doing business there and longstanding practices of stealing trade secrets[0][1][2]? Or how about forcing companies to transfer technology and business operations to local Chinese firms[3] under threat of being banned in the Chinese market? [0]: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-64206950 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-64206950 [1]: https://www.cnbc.com/2019/02/28/1-in-5-companies-say-china-stole-their-ip-within-the-last-year-cnbc.html https://www.cnbc.com/2019/02/28/1-in-5-companies-say-china-s... [2]: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/06/technology/china-generation-blocked-internet.html https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/06/technology/china-generati... [3]: https://www.axios.com/2021/12/21/why-us-giants-keep-caving-to-china https://www.axios.com/2021/12/21/why-us-giants-keep-caving-t...
- archagon 2y ago
  I, for one, do not want the US to be like China.
  - Jensson 2y ago
    If you really mean that then maybe keeping Chinese influence out is a good thing?
hollerith 2y ago
Needing to win a bidding war for TikTok is very different from Washington's confiscating TikTok and giving it to one of its corporate friends. The winner of the bidding war might never get enough money out of TikTok to offset what it paid for TikTok. The seller (ByteDance) is not stupid, and anyone who want to bid can bid.
IAmGraydon 2y ago
That would require Bytedance to want to sell it, which isn’t going to happen.

no_wizard 2y ago

In this instance someone will gain something short term, I readily acknowledge. That said, how is this different from Chinas long standing economic policies that have effectively banned many western companies from doing business there and longstanding practices of stealing trade secrets[0][1][2]? Or how about forcing companies to transfer technology and business operations to local Chinese firms[3] under threat of being banned in the Chinese market? [0]: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-64206950 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-64206950 [1]: https://www.cnbc.com/2019/02/28/1-in-5-companies-say-china-stole-their-ip-within-the-last-year-cnbc.html https://www.cnbc.com/2019/02/28/1-in-5-companies-say-china-s... [2]: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/06/technology/china-generation-blocked-internet.html https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/06/technology/china-generati... [3]: https://www.axios.com/2021/12/21/why-us-giants-keep-caving-to-china https://www.axios.com/2021/12/21/why-us-giants-keep-caving-t...

archagon 2y ago
I, for one, do not want the US to be like China.
- Jensson 2y ago
  If you really mean that then maybe keeping Chinese influence out is a good thing?

hollerith 2y ago

Needing to win a bidding war for TikTok is very different from Washington's confiscating TikTok and giving it to one of its corporate friends. The winner of the bidding war might never get enough money out of TikTok to offset what it paid for TikTok. The seller (ByteDance) is not stupid, and anyone who want to bid can bid.

IAmGraydon 2y ago

That would require Bytedance to want to sell it, which isn’t going to happen.