crj003’s blog

The New York Times stated that Trump recently signed an executive order to block TikTok if ByteDance, the internet company which owns the app, did not sell its U.S. operations by mid-September. Trump frequently voices his ideas about TikTok, saying it is a threat to national security due to the fact that the company has ties with China.

On August 24^th, TikTok acted in response to the ban of the app by suing the Trump administration. The suit was filed accusing the United States government of depriving it of due process when Trump issued an executive order that could block users from using the app in the United States.

The New York Times mention that in the suit against the United States government, the company made a statement saying “We do not take suing the government lightly; however, we feel we have no choice but to take action to protect our rights, and the rights of our community and employees.” They went on to explain that they currently employ over 1,500 people in the United States and noted that they had future plans that involved hiring over 10,000 workers.

The white house’s actions are pushing ByteDance and TikTok to seek a buyer for the app’s U.S. operations. While fighting the United States government in court, TikTok is continuing to negotiate a sale, and have been discussing possible deals. People who know was discussed have said the talks are fluid and they haven’t reached a deal.

Beijing, China reacted to the situation Trump has put TikTok in, by imposing technology export rules that could put an end the potential sale of TikTok to an American Buyer. The New York Times posted a quote from the White House trade adviser Peter Navarro where he threatened Chinese-made apps when he told Fox Business, “It is critical that this country not use apps that are made in China, or that can take our data and go to servers in China.”

If China does stop a sale from being made, the Trump administration might retaliate in some way starting an endless conflict back and forth. Preventing the country from using Chinese apps could damage to companies that use apps such as WeChat, a Chinese messaging app with 1.2 billion users. Large corporations such as apple have already started preparing themselves in case of a potential ban.

Before the conflict surrounding TikTok, relations between the United States and China have already declining, other aspects such as in technology and trade.

While TikTok is dealing with the conflict from the ban, they are also handling changes in management. Chief executive Kevin Mayer, announced on August 26^th that he is resigning. Mr. Mayer, 58, stated that the reason he was prompted to leave the company was due to changes in TikTok’s structure.

According to The New York Times, TikTok released a statement commenting on Mayer’s announcement, which said the political dynamics of the last few months changed his role, and that the company fully respects the decision to resign. Mr. Mayer sent a note to employees, where he wrote “the future is incredibly bright” for TikTok.

As of now, Mr. Mayer has not specifically stated when he will step down.  ByteDance is trying to reach a deal to sell TikTok, but nothing has been finalized.