TikTok’s CEO plans to join Trump’s inauguration while battling a potential US ban on the app
Washington: So, here’s the scoop. TikTok’s CEO, Shou Zi Chew, is gearing up to attend Trump’s inauguration. This is happening while the company scrambles to dodge a US ban.
He’ll be rubbing elbows with big names like Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Tim Cook, and Jeff Bezos. Quite the crowd, right? A source shared this info with The Post.
Just last month, Chew visited Trump at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, trying to smooth things over and avoid that ban. TikTok hasn’t commented yet, but The New York Times broke the news about his plans.
Now, here’s the kicker: TikTok might shut down the app entirely on Sunday. That’s when a deadline hits for its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, to sell its stake. Users will just get redirected to a website explaining the ban.
Interestingly, Trump, who once wanted to block TikTok, is now against the ban. He’s considering options to “save” the app, possibly with an executive order that could delay the law for a couple of months. But it’s unclear if he can legally pull that off.
The Supreme Court might step in for TikTok, but so far, they seem to back the law. During recent arguments, all justices agreed that national security concerns outweigh free speech worries.
Congress and the Justice Department are worried TikTok is a national security risk, claiming it could manipulate content and collect user data for the Chinese government.
Chew will be sitting with those tech giants at the inauguration. TikTok insists they haven’t done anything wrong and argues the law violates the First Amendment.
In a memo to staff, TikTok’s leaders assured US employees their jobs are safe, even if a national ban happens. They emphasized that the law won’t affect their employment, just the user experience in the US.
Interestingly, TikTok’s plan to shut down goes beyond what the law requires. The law only stops new downloads, but the app would still be usable for a while, just without updates.
As reported, many “TikTok refugees” are moving to a China-based app called RedNote, which experts say could be even riskier for American users. The app’s Chinese name, Xiaohongshu, means “little red book,” a nod to those old propaganda booklets from Mao Zedong’s time.
