Bier stated, 'It became abundantly clear: flooding the timeline with 100 stolen reposts and clickbait everyday crowded-out real creators and hurt new author growth.' He emphasized that X will not compensate for manipulation of the program or its users.
Gen Z isn't rejecting AI outright, but they are reassessing its role in their lives. What we're seeing in the data is a generation that recognizes AI's utility but is increasingly concerned about its long-term impact on learning, trust and career readiness.
When the deal was first announced, many were stunned by the $14 billion price tag. It read like a fire sale, with sources chalking that up to how ByteDance had been put over a barrel by a U.S. law requiring divestiture. But we now know the price wasn't really $14 billion. It was $24 billion.
After months of negotiations, TikTok finalized a deal with several US-based investors days before the next deadline, after which TikTok would have allegedly been banned in the US. Today, TikTok was finally divested from ByteDance, which retains a 20% stake, while the other 80% is split between Oracle, Silver Lake, MGX and others. Each of those three companies gets a 15% stake.
TikTok has finalized the deal for its US entity, with its parent company ByteDance selling majority of its stake to a group of non-Chinese investors. The deal was closed just before the Trump Administration's latest deadline, banning the app in the US unless it was divested from ByteDance, which will only retain 20 percent of the new entity. TikTok's investors will own 80 percent, with Oracle, Silver Lake and MGX, an Emirati-state owned investment firm, taking 15 percent each.
ByteDance, TikTok's Chinese parent company, recently established a separate American entity to run the app's U.S. operations. This restructuring aims to separate U.S. TikTok from its Chinese parent, addressing concerns about data privacy and foreign control. The move came after years of pressure from lawmakers, who feared the Chinese government's potential access to Americans' data. In 2024, Congress enacted a law, mandating that TikTok's U.S. operations be separated from ByteDance.
We've made significant progress in recovering our U.S. infrastructure with our U.S. data center partner. However, the U.S. user experience may still have some technical issues, including when posting new content. We're committed to bringing TikTok back to its full capacity as soon as possible. We'll continue to provide updates. Thanks for your patience.
TikTok also updated its Terms of Service and Privacy Policy to inform users that it will be collecting "new types of information," including device geolocation. What has , though, is a clause stating that the app will also collect any information they disclose about their race, religion, health, sexual orientation, gender identity and citizenship or immigration status. Interestingly, this language was likely added in , which is before President Trump returned to office.
A little more than one week ago, TikTok stepped on to US shores as a naturalized citizen. Ever since, the video app has been fighting for its life. TikTok's calamitous emigration began on 22 January when its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, finalized a deal to sell the app to a group of US investors, among them the business software giant Oracle.
US TikTok users are navigating a major ownership shift as TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC takes control of American operations, addressing longstanding national security concerns. Amid the transition, glitches, feed changes, and privacy policy scrutiny fuel uncertainty, prompting creators and casual users alike to reevaluate their engagement. Daily uninstall rates have spiked dramatically, while rival platforms gain traction, illustrating how trust, control, and technical reliability shape digital loyalty in real time.