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By Michelai Graham
Boardroom's Tech Reporter
January 19, 2025
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It’s been a hectic week in the tech world, and the news keeps coming. Let’s dive in.

A peek into today’s edition:

  • TikTok meets its fate
  • Tech Byte: Nintendo Switch 2
  • Tubi takes on Super Bowl LIX

TikTok’s time in the United States came to an abrupt end last night, as the popular app voluntarily ceased operations just hours before a nationwide ban was set to take effect today, Jan. 19, 2025.

The U.S. government had planned to enforce the ban following a series of legislative and judicial actions citing national security concerns. However, around 10:30 p.m. yesterday, users were greeted with a brief pop-up message announcing the shutdown:

“Sorry, TikTok isn’t available right now. A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the U.S. Unfortunately, that means you can’t use TikTok for now. We are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to reinstate TikTok once he takes office. Please stay tuned!”

Similar notifications appeared on other ByteDance-owned apps, including CapCut and Lemon8.

Is this the end for TikTok?

I’m not sure, but this pivotal moment marks a significant shift in social media history. Here is an overview of the key developments leading to this critical juncture.

How TikTok’s Ban Came About

The journey to the United States’ decision to ban TikTok began in 2020 after Donald Trump raised national security concerns about the short-form video app. The former president signed a few executive orders declaring that ByteDance had to sell or spin off its US TikTok business. Sound familiar? In June 2021, President Joe Biden revoked the previous administration’s executive orders and instead directed the Secretary of Commerce to investigate TikTok’s potential security threats. This investigation is ultimately what led to the TikTok ban bill.

But before we reached that point, TikTok announced in June 2022 that it migrated all US user data to an Oracle cloud infrastructure on American soil. This move was part of TikTok’s efforts to address data security concerns by ensuring that U.S. user traffic is routed through servers managed by Oracle within the U.S.

In December 2022, President Biden signed the No TikTok on Government Devices Act, prohibiting the use of TikTok on federal government devices, with exceptions. Following this, numerous state governments, universities, and grade schools implemented their own TikTok bans. During this down period after a slew of bans, bipartisan lawmakers quietly worked on legislation for a nationwide ban to present before Congress.

The Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act (PAFACA) was passed by the House of Representatives on March 13, 2024, with an overwhelmingly bipartisan vote of 352-65-1. The Senate passed the bill on April 23, 2024, with a vote of 79 in favor and 18 against. President Biden signed the bill into law on April 25, 2024, requiring ByteDance to divest its US TikTok operations by Jan. 19, 2025, or face a ban.

The 270-day period was chosen to provide ByteDance with a reasonable timeframe to negotiate a sale while addressing security issues. The law also allows for a 90-day extension if significant progress is made, potentially extending the deadline to 360 days.

Despite ByteDance’s strategic and legal efforts, including a plea to the Supreme Court, the company was not granted an extension. The Supreme Court issued a unanimous decision on Jan. 17 upholding the law that mandates ByteDance to divest TikTok’s U.S. operations by Jan. 19, 2025, or face a nationwide ban. This decision follows oral arguments presented by TikTok’s legal team on Jan. 10.

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew posted a video to the platform following the decision, where he thanked President-elect Trump for committing to work with TikTok “to find a resolution that keeps TikTok available in the United States.”

That was the last official statement Chew shared on his TikTok profile before the app went dark. In the meantime, The Verge and The New York Times confirmed that US TikTok workers will keep their jobs no matter TikTok’s fate.

A protestor holds a sign that reads “Keep TikTok” as she and other content creators stand outside the US Supreme Court Building as the court listened to oral arguments regarding the TikTok ban on Jan. 10, 2025, in Washington, DC. (Andrew Harnik / Getty Images)

What’s At Stake

President Biden announced he wouldn’t enforce the TikTok ban before leaving office, passing the responsibility to the incoming Trump administration. President-elect Trump hinted at potentially delaying the ban with an executive order despite taking office just one day after it’s set to go into effect.

The Information reported that Oracle was preparing to shut down the servers hosting TikTok early Saturday before ByteDance took decisive action, cutting off TikTok access for over 170 million Americans.

The implications of this decision extend far beyond TikTok itself. While the app is the most prominent example, the new law doesn’t automatically ban all foreign-owned platforms. Instead, it targets apps deemed national security risks, setting a significant precedent for other foreign-owned companies operating in the U.S.

This move is likely to ignite broader debates about data security, privacy, and foreign influence in digital spaces. With the White House in transition, the coming days will be critical in shaping the future of such policies.

The big question on everyone’s mind remains: Is TikTok truly gone from the U.S. for good?

For now, that’s still unclear. Meanwhile, (ex?) U.S. TikTokers are flocking to alternative platforms, with RedNote—a China-based social network—surging to the #1 spot in the social networking category on all major app stores.

Tech Leaders and the New Administration

Chew, along with other Big Tech CEOs, was invited to attend President-elect Trump’s inauguration tomorrow. This invitation follows several high-profile meetings between top tech figures, including Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Apple CEO Tim Cook, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, TikTok’s Chew, and President-elect Trump at his Mar-a-Lago estate in the weeks after the 2024 election. These discussions focused on key issues like the future of TikTok in the US and broader tech industry concerns.

In addition to these meetings, major tech companies have made significant donations to Trump’s inauguration fund. Amazon, Apple, Google, Meta, Microsoft, OpenAI, and Uber have each contributed large sums, with some donating up to $1 million. These donations have raised concerns among lawmakers and Americans, who question whether they are efforts to gain favor and avoid regulatory scrutiny, especially as many of these companies are currently under large-scale federal investigation.

Now more than ever, tech companies are vulnerable to increased regulatory crackdowns. With rising concerns over data privacy, national security, and monopolistic practices, governments worldwide are tightening their grip on the tech industry, imposing fines, and forcing businesses to reshape their operations. Once untouchable, these tech giants are now navigating a complex regulatory landscape. This makes their sizable donations to Trump’s administration all the more questionable.

What’s Next?

Instead of speculating on what’s next or trying to guess which billionaire might buy TikTok, let’s focus on the facts to guide our next steps in this ever-evolving digital landscape.

One thing is for certain: The tech news cycle will look vastly different next week.

Tech Byte

Image courtesy of Nintendo

Nintendo finally announced that the Switch 2 will arrive this year with a first-look trailer of the new hardware. The new console will have a larger screen, updated controllers, and exclusive games. Nintendo will share more details at Nintendo Direct: Nintendo Switch 2 on April 2, followed by hands-on experience events across North America, Europe, and Asia.

This Week in Tech

  • For the first time, Fox Sports is bringing the Super Bowl to Tubi, streaming the game live alongside exclusive coverage. Tubi’s lineup includes Fox’s Super Bowl LIX telecast and a live pre-game red carpet show hosted by model and media personality Olivia Culpo from Caesars Superdome.
  • Apple is temporarily suspending its AI-generated news alerts after the feature allegedly made up headlines and inaccurately summarized news and entertainment updates. The move came after news publishers filed complaints about Apple Intelligence‘s summaries of their work.
  • Google has partnered with The Associated Press to provide real-time news updates through its Gemini AI chatbot, marking the tech giant’s first licensing deal with a news publisher. The partnership comes amid ongoing debates over copyright and fair use in AI chatbots.
  • Which brings me to this. The New York Times and other publishers officially took OpenAI to federal court this week to determine if a copyright infringement trial will proceed. The publishers filed a lawsuit in 2023, accusing OpenAI of training ChatGPT on their articles without consent. If the case proceeds and the publishers succeed, it could set a historic legal precedent, forcing OpenAI to rebuild its datasets and change how it gathers information.
  • Still, OpenAI is expanding its presence in newsrooms. The AI giant will fund Axios’ expansion into four new cities — Pittsburgh, Kansas City, Boulder, and Huntsville — as part of a three-year content-sharing and technology partnership it has with the publisher. The deal allows ChatGPT to use Axios journalism with attribution while enabling Axios to leverage OpenAI’s technology to scale its local journalism efforts without using AI for story reporting.
  • Ms. Rachel, the beloved educator known for her childhood education YouTube channel, is bringing her playful, research-backed videos to Netflix starting Jan. 27. The initial four-episode series will feature interactive lessons on early language skills, phonics, and more, with subtitles in 33 languages to reach families worldwide. The Ms. Rachel YouTube channel has amassed over 13 million subscribers and one billion views since its inception in 2019.
  • The SEC is suing Elon Musk for not disclosing his Twitter stock ownership in 2022 before purchasing the company and rebranding it to X, accusing him of underpaying by at least $150 million. This legal action stems from Musk’s failure to comply with regulations requiring timely reporting of stock purchases. Musk’s lawyer dismissed the lawsuit, calling it a “sham” and claiming Musk had done nothing wrong.

Michelai’s Bet of the Week

As General Motors’ Cadillac brand gears up for its Formula 1 debut in 2026, the company has committed to building its own F1 cars and engines by 2030. Initially relying on Ferrari power units, I’m going to bet that GM will develop a competitive engine ahead of schedule — and we might even see an early podium finish.

Want More Tech?

Michelai Graham

Michelai Graham is Boardroom's resident tech and crypto reporter. Before joining 35V, she was a freelance reporter with bylines in AfroTech, HubSpot, The Plug, and Lifewire, to name a few. At Boardroom, Michelai covers Web3, NFTs, crypto, tech, and gaming. Off the clock, you can find her producing her crime podcast, The Point of No Return.

About The Author
Michelai Graham
Michelai Graham
Michelai Graham is Boardroom's resident tech and crypto reporter. Before joining 35V, she was a freelance reporter with bylines in AfroTech, HubSpot, The Plug, and Lifewire, to name a few. At Boardroom, Michelai covers Web3, NFTs, crypto, tech, and gaming. Off the clock, you can find her producing her crime podcast, The Point of No Return.