TikTok | TechCrunch

TikTok parent ByteDance reportedly values itself at $300 billion

Anthony Ha — Sat, 16 Nov 2024 17:26:40 +0000

ByteDance, the Chinese company that owns TikTok, valued itself at $300 billion in a recent share buyback offer, according to a new report in The Wall Street Journal. That number might sound familiar, as the WSJ previously reported on a ByteDance buyback offer at a $300 billion valuation back in September 2022. But a year […]

YouTube chases TikTok with new gifting feature for vertical livestreams

Aisha Malik — Thu, 14 Nov 2024 17:50:02 +0000

YouTube is launching a new way for creators to earn money during vertical livestreams, the company announced on Thursday. Viewers can now buy “Jewels,” a digital currency, to send “gifts” to creators. Gifts are animations that appear on screen during vertical livestreams. If this sounds familiar, it’s because it’s similar to TikTok’s live gifting feature […]

Trump expected to try to stop looming TikTok ban

Aisha Malik — Tue, 12 Nov 2024 20:52:04 +0000

President-elect Donald Trump will try to prevent TikTok from getting banned in the United States, The Washington Post reported on Tuesday. During his campaign, Trump promised voters that he would save the popular social media app if elected. Former Trump adviser and campaign manager Kellyanne Conway told the Post that the president-elect “appreciates the breadth and […]

TikTok launches integration with Lemon8, as US ban looms

Aisha Malik — Tue, 12 Nov 2024 15:33:23 +0000

Users will be able to directly access Lemon8, ByteDance’s newer social media app, with their TikTok account, the company announced Tuesday. ByteDance says the integration will make photo sharing more feasible, and give creators the ability to cross-share photo content between the apps. Lemon8 will remain a separate app, but the two platforms will share […]

What does Trump’s election mean for the TikTok ban?

Amanda Silberling — Fri, 08 Nov 2024 21:39:30 +0000

As TikTok stares down an impending federal ban, Donald Trump’s win in the presidential election could be a lifeline. It’s a plot twist for the embattled, Chinese-owned social media company. During Trump’s last presidency, the president-elect had been the one to initiate the calls to ban TikTok, which only petered out because he didn’t win […]

TikTok’s latest feature lets music fans ‘Share to TikTok’ from Spotify and Apple Music

Sarah Perez — Thu, 07 Nov 2024 17:44:45 +0000

TikTok on Thursday debuted a new feature that will more closely connect its app, which already influences which songs top the charts, to the streaming services where users discover and play their favorite music. With the launch of a new “Share to TikTok” feature, music fans will be able to directly share tracks from both […]

Canada orders shutdown of TikTok offices over security risks (but won’t block app)

Ingrid Lunden — Thu, 07 Nov 2024 11:07:33 +0000

With all eyes on how a new Trump administration in the U.S. will interface with China Tech in the years ahead, its neighbor to the north has leveled a blow to one of the biggest apps to come out of the country. Canada has ordered the closure of ByteDance’s operations in Canada — specifically the […]

‘For You’ feeds fail on election night, offering outdated information, angering users

Sarah Perez — Wed, 06 Nov 2024 15:49:06 +0000

“For You” algorithms that promote the most interesting content across a social network, personalized to the individual user, offered a disjointed, outdated, and nearly unusable experience on election night in the U.S. as they highlighted hours-old posts that no longer reflected the current state of the race. Frustrations were particularly high on Threads, Meta’s X […]

Billionaire Frank McCourt wants to buy TikTok; here’s his plan

Connie Loizos — Sat, 26 Oct 2024 18:14:00 +0000

This week on the StrictlyVC Download, hosts Connie Loizos and Alex Gove explore the intersection of technology, power, and the future of the internet with billionaire investor and philanthropist Frank McCourt. McCourt used to make headlines as the owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers; now, he’s making waves with his ambitious efforts to reshape the […]

The fediverse is getting its own TikTok competitor called Loops

Sarah Perez — Fri, 25 Oct 2024 17:44:17 +0000

Similar to how Mastodon offers an open source, distributed version of X, the fediverse is getting its own TikTok competitor. This week, an app called Loops began accepting signups on its new platform for sharing short, looping videos. Still in the early stages, Loops is not yet open sourced, nor has it completed its integration […]

TikTok accounts are becoming divorce fodder

Connie Loizos — Thu, 24 Oct 2024 23:46:56 +0000

When Kat and Mike Stickler divorced, their biggest challenge was dividing a shared TikTok account with millions of followers that generated significant income, and they aren’t alone, reports The WSJ. A growing number of couples — and divorce attorneys — are grappling with how to assess the value of social media accounts when a couple […]

TikTok will now show its STEM feed to adults, not just teens

Aisha Malik — Wed, 23 Oct 2024 14:00:00 +0000

TikTok announced on Wednesday that it’s bringing its STEM feed to all users in the United States, United Kingdom, and Ireland by default. Previously, the feed was only turned on by default for users under the age of 18. The social network says the expansion will make it easier for people to find educational content […]

TikTok’s research reportedly acknowledges negative effects on teens

Anthony Ha — Sat, 12 Oct 2024 16:41:17 +0000

Court documents suggest that TikTok executives are aware of the app’s potential harm to teenagers, according to reporting by NPR and Kentucky Public Radio. Fourteen U.S. attorneys general sued TikTok earlier this week, claiming that the app harms children’s mental health. Much of the material in those suits was redacted, but reporters were able to […]

ByteDance lays off hundreds of TikTok employees in shift to AI content moderation

Aisha Malik — Fri, 11 Oct 2024 13:48:40 +0000

ByteDance’s TikTok is laying off hundreds of employees, mainly in Malaysia, according to Reuters. The cuts come as the social network is increasingly turning to AI for content moderation. The cuts do not impact employees in the U.S. Although TikTok did not provide the exact number, it said that less than 500 people were affected. […]

Fourteen AGs sue TikTok, claiming that it harms children’s mental health

Amanda Silberling — Tue, 08 Oct 2024 18:36:16 +0000

Fourteen U.S. attorneys general sued TikTok on Tuesday, alleging that the platform negatively impacts minors’ mental health and harvests data without their consent. TikTok, a U.S. company owned by the Chinese conglomerate ByteDance, is embroiled in a number of lawsuits that could threaten its operations. In another recent lawsuit, the FTC and the Justice Department […]

TikTok comes for Google’s ad business as it starts letting advertisers target its search results page

Aisha Malik — Tue, 24 Sep 2024 14:00:00 +0000

After building out its Search product over the past few years to take on Google, TikTok is now taking its Search ambitions even further by allowing advertisers to target its search results page. TikTok announced on Tuesday that it’s launching the “TikTok Search Ads Campaign,” a new keyword-based search solution that enables brands to appear […]

ByteDance is shutting down TikTok Music globally

Ivan Mehta — Tue, 24 Sep 2024 12:11:34 +0000

Subscribers can continue to use the service until November 28, after which renewals will be automatically canceled.

TikTok launches expanded subscriptions feature for creators

Aisha Malik — Mon, 23 Sep 2024 14:13:35 +0000

TikTok announced on Monday that its redesigned “Subscription” monetization offering is rolling out to eligible creators in select regions, including Brazil, France, Germany, Spain, the U.K., Indonesia, Italy, Japan, South Korea, and the U.S. The company says it plans to expand the feature to more markets in the coming weeks. The official rollout comes as […]

Snapchat tests ‘simple’ version of the app without Snap Map or Stories tab

Maxwell Zeff — Tue, 17 Sep 2024 17:15:00 +0000

Snapchat is rolling out a simplified version of the app to some users, the company announced on Tuesday during its Snap Partner Summit, as part of a test to make the disappearing photo app easier to use. “Simple Snapchat” declutters the app’s home screen, removing the Snap Map and Stories tabs, and consolidates its navigation […]

As TikTok ban heads to court, ByteDance’s Lemon8 surges

Sarah Perez — Mon, 16 Sep 2024 15:43:08 +0000

As TikTok heads to court on Monday to argue against a U.S. ban, parent company ByteDance’s newer social app, Lemon8, is once again surging to the top of the App Store in the U.S. The push is due, in part, to increased advertising. Described by TikTok influencers as a cross between Pinterest and Instagram — […]