TikTok’s future in the US is unclear. We check back with the billionaire who wants to save it

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TikTok's future in the US is unclear. We check back with the billionaire who wants to save it

TikTok is officially operational tight blockFriend.

Last Friday, a federal appeals court upheld a law that could lead to the app being banned from operating in the United States next month. Even if President Joe Biden decides to extend that deadline another 90 days, TikTok still has a pretty tight schedule to find a way out of this chaos.

Earlier this year, I spoke with Frank McCourt for this newsletter about his attempt to buy TikTok. After last week’s events, I thought this was a good time to get back in touch with him. Additionally, I gain insight into how creators are preparing for the post-TikTok future.

Let’s talk about it.

This is an edition of the WIRED Politics Lab newsletter. Read previous newsletters This.

There are three options left for TikTok at this point. The company could win the case, forget about all of this, and go back to business as usual (eventually). By next year, this application may be banned. Or someone with a lot of money can buy TikTok’s US business from ByteDance. Wednesday afternoon, my colleague Zeyi Yang and I talked to Frank McCourt, the billionaire former owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers, who wanted to do it.

McCourt’s motivation is not only to save TikTok but also to promote his personal project. Through his Project Liberty initiative, he has made what he calls “the people’s bid,” bringing together diverse investors and groups who share his vision of a The web is more open. To achieve this, he will apply Project Liberty’s Decentralized Social Network Protocol, or DSNP, to TikTok. The protocol will allow users to export their friends and followers to the new TikTok. And after Friday’s court decision, McCourt is more confident than ever that his team will soon be up and running and able to rebuild the app.

During our conversation, McCourt argued that a sale would make everyone happy, including ByteDance, its users, and the US government. McCourt has offered $20 billion for app brands, user bases and existing content to expand his vision of a more privacy-friendly, interoperable Internet that competes with incumbents. companies like Meta and Google. He said he doesn’t “need or want” the algorithm that runs TikTok’s For You page.

When asked if Project Liberty could maintain TikTok’s current user base without the beloved algorithm, McCourt said: “People don’t know they don’t have anything until you show them.” .