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Source: SOPA Images / Getty / TikTok
Welp, it’s not looking good for everyone’s favorite social media platform, TikTok. The Supreme Court upheld the law banning the app in the U.S. if its Chinese owner, ByteDance, couldn’t facilitate a sale.
The clock officially ran out after TikTok’s final attempt to continue operating in the United States. The Supreme Court delivered the death blow, upholding a lower court ruling that ByteDance must sell the app by January 19 due to national security concerns.
“There is no doubt that, for more than 170 million Americans, TikTok offers a distinctive and expansive outlet for expression, means of engagement, and source of community,” an unsigned opinion from the justices read. “But Congress has determined that divestiture is necessary to address its well-supported national security concerns regarding TikTok’s data collection practices and relationship with a foreign adversary. For the foregoing reasons, we conclude that the challenged provisions do not violate petitioners’ First Amendment rights.”
The ban would go into effect under the Protecting Americans from Foreign Controlled Applications Act that President Joe Biden signed.
TikTok’s future in the United States is in dire jeopardy due to no sale on the table that could save it from the ban, forcing social media influencers to find another platform to do their “influencing” to continue making a living.
TikTok’s Fate Is In The Hands of Donald Trump
The outgoing Biden administration is punting on the matter, leaving TikTok’s fate in the hands of the platform’s newest “fan,” President-elect Donald Trump, who said to CNN, “It ultimately goes up to me, so you’re going to see what I’m going to do.”
“Given the sheer fact of timing, the administration recognizes that actions to implement the law simply must fall to the next administration, which takes office on Monday,” the Biden administration said.
“President Biden’s position on TikTok has been clear for months, including since Congress sent a bill in overwhelming, bipartisan fashion to the president’s desk: TikTok should remain available to Americans, but simply under American ownership or other ownership that addresses national security concerns identified by Congress in developing this law,” the statement read by White House Press Secretary Karine Jean Pierre said fresh off the Supreme Court’s ruling.
Trump also confirmed on his sh*tty platform Truth Social that he has spoken with China’s president Xi Jinping, claiming that he brought up TikTok during the conversation, whatever that means.
So What’s Going To Happen With TikTok?
When the ban officially begins, it will be up to the Google and Apple APP stores to enforce it and keep it from being available to users or face potential fines.
According to Deadline, the roughly 187 million Americans currently using the app will still have access to it, but they will not receive routine updates, rendering it a shell.
According to The Information, TikTok is prepared to go dark in the U.S. on Sunday, but the company could also “wait and see” what the Trump administration does.
Who Are The Potential Buyers?
During the previous nightmare that was Donald Trump’s first term, he was in favor of banning or forcing a sale of the app before his flip-flopping on the matter.
Deadline notes that he cannot stop the bipartisan legislation, but he could ask his incoming “Justice Department” not to enforce the ban.
There were rumors that China was considering Elon Musk’s potential purchase of TikTok. What could go wrong with this man owning another social media platform? TikTok has denied those claims.
Even Canadian Trump fan and Shark Tank cast member Kevin O’Leary is part of a formal bid submitted by Frank McCourt-founded Internet advocacy group Project Liberty to potentially buy TikTok without its algorithm to allow the 170 American users to “preserve the platform’s vibrant community, while also giving 170 million American TikTokers the ability to control, protect, and benefit from their data.”
We shall see what happens with the platform, but it looks like it’s a wrap right now.
You can see reactions to the news in the gallery below.
2. What is wrong with y’all ?
3. There might be some truth to this
4. Never forget!
5. Interesting take on the matter
8. Well, you should ask the GOP about most of those matters, TikTok was the only thing Republicans and Democrats agreed on
10. Womp, womp, womp
12. We shall see if his warming up to Donald Trump will help him in the long run
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Source: Eva Marie Uzcategui / Getty / Elon Musk
Elon Musk claims to be a top-tier gamer, but gamers aren’t so sure about that based on his Path of Exile 2 streaming footage.
Musk somehow found a way to squeeze in a lot of time to play Path of Exile 2 despite spending most of his time kissing Donald Trump’s ass t Mar-a-Lago and supposedly pushing to make America efficient again.
While streaming himself playing the game with two extremely high-ranking builds on hardcore mode, which features a permadeath mechanic permanently killing your character if you die, gamers noticed something very peculiar: his lack of skill.
Watching Musk clumsily navigate the game despite having a high-ranking character raised gamers’ eyebrows, leading many to question whether he is a gaming god.
After some investigation, the answer is a resounding no. Gamers, including popular Twitch streamer Asmongold, have called him a “fake gamer” and accused him of paying someone to grind the game for him or as one YouTube commenter called it, “fraudmaxing.”
Per Vulture:
The key evidence that Musk doesn’t know what he’s doing is as follows: Musk burns past the high-value items while picking up the worthless ones; Musk seemingly does not know which icon to click on to enter a map; Musk doesn’t seem to realize that he needs to replenish his mana (essentially his magic levels) in order to deal effective damage against a boss (it is unfathomable that he should not know how to do this if he’s played even an hour of any RPG); worst of all, and certainly the most painful to watch for a seasoned Path of Exile 2 player, is the way Musk — supposed veteran PC gamer — inefficiently drags and drops loot into his inventory.
Musk, being the man-child he is, also unfollowed Asmongold, stripped him of his verified status and shared the DMs they exchanged with each other.
Elon Musk removed Asmongold’s check mark and leaked private DMs after POE criticism pic.twitter.com/upC4M0jWuD
— yeet (@Awk20000) January 16, 2025
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Leaking my DM’s is one thing but this is absolutely uncalled for https://t.co/I4eRo2QPKF
— Zack (@Asmongold) January 16, 2025
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What a loser.
Now you see why we call him Phony Stark.
You can see more reactions in the gallery below.
As U.S. TikTok users brace for a potential ban of the platform, some of them are actively testing other options: Two apps with TikTok-like characteristics, RedNote and Lemon8, are now the most popular free downloads in Apple’s App Store.
Lemon8 launched in the U.S. in February 2023 and cracked the top 20 on the Apple App Store four months later, according to Sensor Tower. Like TikTok, Lemon8 features a “For You” feed that recommends clips and a “following” feed that serves up videos from creators that users follow. Sensor Tower reported in October that 94% of Lemon8 users are women and that the app had been downloaded 52 million times globally.
RedNote, which was founded in 2013, is much bigger: Bloomberg recently reported that it has more than 300 million monthly active users and that it made $1 billion in profit in 2024. The platform has a trending feed that resembles TikTok’s, allowing users to vertically scroll through short-form videos. It also incorporates regular photos, text posts, and e-commerce; one tester described it as “Instagram meets TikTok meets Reddit.”
Trending on Billboard
Both Lemon8 and RedNote are owned by Chinese entities — in fact, Lemon8 is owned by ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company. That could mean these apps also have a precarious future in the U.S., as TikTok is facing a ban because the American government is worried about its Chinese ownership.
“I’ve been concerned, literally for years, that because TikTok is owned by ByteDance, a Chinese firm, and every company — based upon Chinese law — has to be first and foremost loyal to the Communist Party of China, not to their shareholders or customers, that TikTok has posed a national security concern,” Sen. Mark Warner said earlier this month. His concerns would presumably extend to other ByteDance-owned companies, like CapCut and Lemon8.
In December, the Supreme Court agreed to hear TikTok’s challenge to the law that would either force ByteDance to sell the app or bar it from the U.S. President-elect Donald Trump also asked the court to pause the ban, promising to “resolve the issues at hand through political means once he takes office.”
But after the Supreme Court hearing last week, most legal experts believe the justices will uphold the law. In that case, ByteDance would have to offload TikTok or face a ban on Jan. 19.
At the Supreme Court hearing, Justice Brett Kavanaugh claimed that China could use data harvested from TikTok to “develop spies, to turn people, to blackmail people.” And Chief Justice John Roberts asked how the court was “supposed to ignore the fact that the ultimate parent [company] is, in fact, subject to doing intelligence work for the Chinese government?”
With TikTok’s possible prohibition just days away, some labels have already started gaming out alternative marketing strategies.
“It’s hard to imagine a reality where TikTok actually goes down,” one executive told Billboard in December. “But we need to be prepared.”
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Source: NurPhoto / Getty / TikTok
TikTok is currently on the verge of being banned, but reportedly, China is mulling the idea of selling the platform to Elon Musk.
Word on the social media streets is that Elon Musk could potentially add TikTok to his portfolio of sh*t he owns but has no business owning in the first damn place. Musk, one of President-elect Trump’s newest rump kissers, joins another potential buyer, Shark Tank’s Kevin O’Leary, another Trump fan throwing his name in the hat as a potential buyer of TikTok.
The Orange Menace is now in favor of saving the platform after once being on the side of banning it. In a Newsmax interview, he explained his position changed, telling the “news channel,” “We won young people, and I think that’s a big credit to TikTok. So I’m not opposed to TikTok … I had a very good experience with TikTok.”
Trump on TikTok: “We won young people and I think that’s a big credit to TikTok. So I’m not opposed to TikTok … I had a very good experience with TikTok.” pic.twitter.com/dKDBrvsZDI
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) January 14, 2025
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Hilariously, TikTok denies the validity of the reports of Musk seeking to acquire the platform.
Investors Business Daily reports that Beijing officials are mulling their options as the January 19 deadline approaches, forcing Chinese-based company Byte Dance to sell or face a ban in U.S. app stores. During a hearing last week, Supreme Court justices seemed to be leaning towards siding with the U.S. Government.
Per Investors Business Daily:
Chinese government officials prefer that TikTok remains under the control of ByteDance, Bloomberg reported citing unnamed sources. But officials have begun to discuss “contingency plans,” according to Bloomberg.
A deal with one of Trump’s most prominent supporters in Musk “holds some appeal” for the Chinese government, Bloomberg reported. Musk could run the business along with X, the former Twitter that Musk acquired in 2022.
The Wall Street Journal, meanwhile, reported early Tuesday that Chinese officials have “internally discussed options including the possibility of allowing a trusted non-Chinese party such as Elon Musk to invest in or take control of TikTok’s U.S. operations.”
In an emailed comment to IBD, a TikTok spokesperson said the company “cannot be expected to comment on pure fiction.”
According to Wedbush analysts, if Musk is serious about buying TikTok, IBD reports that it could cost the Tesla chief between $40 billion and $50 billion.
Meanwhile, TikTok fans are also making moves. In response to the pending ban, U.S. TikTok users are signing up for the Chinese social media app Xiaohongshu, which is now the top-downloaded app in the U.S.
According to the AP, TikTok refugees—yes, that’s what they are seriously calling themselves—claim to be signing up for the app to protest the U.S.’s potential ban on it.
For American TikTok “refugees”, here is a list of Chinese social media substitution apps. pic.twitter.com/eDzpqpE1Ro
— Li Zexin (@XH_Lee23) January 14, 2025
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Bruh.
Is it really that serious?
Whatever happens, a lot of people need to really touch grass.
You can see more reactions in the gallery below.
1. Mmmmmhmmmm
2. You sure it doesn’t have anything to do with China’s government getting your info?
5. Hmmmmmm
9. Good chance this won’t end well
10. Exactly
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Source: Emanuele Cremaschi / Getty / Nintendo Switch 2
Here. We. Goooooooo. The company that Mario built will allegedly finally show off Nintendo Switch 2 this week.
Video Games Chronicle reports Nintendo will finally unveil the successor to the uber-popular Nintendo Switch on Thursday, January 16, per reliable podcast Nate the Hate.
The website further reports that a trailer for the Nintendo Switch 2 will showcase only hardware, similar to the previous reveal for the first Switch.
A software showcase is allegedly coming in early March, although there are rumblings that Metal Gear Solid Δ: Snake Eater andAssassin’ss Creed are some of the third-party games Switch 2 owners can look forward to playing.
Regarding first-party releases, Nate The Hate claims a new version of Mario Kart could be available at launch, followed by a 3D Mario.
Per Video Games Chronicle:
“I can share with you that Nintendo Switch 2 will be revealed in the coming week… I have been told Switch 2 will be revealed on Thursday, January 16… just a few days from now,” they said.
“I’ve heard that the reveal itself is going to focus almost exclusively on the console itself. There is not going to be any presence of games. There could be a game shown running on the screen, depending on how the trailer is put together, but software is not going to be a focus.”
Nate The Hate claims the Nintendo Switch 2 is looking at a May or June launch.
This latest news follows the ” leak” surrounding the Switch 2 at CES, which resulted in Nintendo allegedly sending lawyers to press gaming accessory company Genki for showing off a Switch 2 mock-up at CES.
Gamers are reacting to the news of the long-awaited Switch 2 reveal allegedly going down this week.
You can see those reactions in the gallery below.
1. Truuueeee
3. Reeeelllaaaxxxxx
5. We understand the skepticism
6. We might be
7. We understand
8. We need it
9. Pretty much all of us
Sonos CEO Patrick Spence stepped down from the top job and his seat on the board on Monday (Jan. 13) after the speaker company faced months of challenges and laid off 6% of its workforce following a fraught redesign of its mobile app. According to a press release, Sonos’ board of directors named Tom Conrad, […]
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Source: The Washington Post / Getty / Mark Zuckerberg
Mark Zuckerberg told the world how he really feels about Apple as a company and a brand. Spoiler alert: he didn’t have anything nice to say.
Engaging in tech bro-talk with Joe Rogan on a recent episode of the Joe Rogan Experience on Friday, Zuckerberg dropped his opinion on Tim Cook’s Apple.
The Meta CEO criticized Apple for its lack of innovation and criticized the company for what he described as “random rules.”
“On the one hand, [the iPhone has] been great, because now pretty much everyone in the world has a phone, and that’s kind of what enables pretty amazing things,” Zuckerberg said. “But on the other hand … they have used that platform to put in place a lot of rules that I think feel arbitrary and [I] feel like they haven’t really invented anything great in a while. It’s like Steve Jobs invented the iPhone, and now they’re just kind of sitting on it 20 years later.”
Apple’s Lack of Improvements On New iPhone Models Is Hurting Sales According To Mark Zuckerberg
Zuckerberg, who was slammed last week for ending “fact-checking” on Meta and was blessed with a bunch of outrageous fake headlines, continued digging into his rival, sharing he feels customers are no longer rushing to upgrade their iPhones is due to lack new features in new models, resulting in struggling sales of the once mighty smartphone.
“So how are they making more money as a company? Well, they do it by basically, like, squeezing people, and, like you’re saying, having this 30% tax on developers by getting you to buy more peripherals and things that plug into it,” Zuckerberg added. “You know, they build stuff like Air Pods, which are cool, but they’ve just thoroughly hamstrung the ability for anyone else to build something that can connect to the iPhone in the same way.”
Zuckerberg Feels Apple “Traps” Its Customers In Their Ecosystem
He further explained that the company that Jobs built avoided pushback from other companies by claiming its main goal was not to violate its customers’ privacy and security, a problem he feels could be fixed by Apple fixing its protocol and improving security by using better encryption.
Zuckerberg continued, “It’s insecure because you didn’t build any security into it. And then you’re using that as a justification for why only your product can connect easily.”
Mark Zuckerberg’s take on Apple. A must watch. I love Apple products. Always have. However, his take on how they haven’t come up with something truly innovative is spot on. A few examples:
1) AirPods Max 2 … they just added a USB-C charger. Other than that, it’s the same thing… pic.twitter.com/h6Z0bO2jCQ
— Antonio Reza (@theantonioreza) January 11, 2025
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Mark Zuckerberg Shared His Opinion On The Failed Apple Vision Pro
Zuckerberg had more to say. He also discussed Apple’s current flop, the Apple Vision Pro. He did give them credit for their attempt at entering the VR space with its spatial computing device, but that’s as far as his compliments went.
“I think the Vision Pro is, I think, one of the bigger swings at doing a new thing that they tried in a while,” Zuckerberg said. “And I don’t want to give them too hard of a time on it, because we do a lot of things where the first version isn’t that good, and you want to kind of judge the third version of it. But I mean, the V1, it definitely did not hit it out of the park.”
He continued, “I heard it’s really good for watching movies.”
Well, damn.
He also added that “they shipped something for $3,500 that I think is worse than the thing that we shipped for $300 or $400.
Mark Zuckerberg on the Joe Rogan podcast, said that Apple Vision Pro is worse than the Meta Quest: ‘They shipped something for $3,500 that I think is worse than the thing that we shipped for $300 or $400.’ pic.twitter.com/W0T4G4gqCC
— Nathie (@NathieVR) January 13, 2025
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Users on X, formerly Twitter, have been reacting to Zuckerberg’s comments. Surprisingly, many agree with him but accuse him of not truly being innovative.
Mark Zuckerberg is correct here and I can also add that Mark Zuckerberg hasn’t created anything at all
He bought Instagram and some other app and stole The Facebook
He’s just Elon Musk that washes up every day https://t.co/Rd8bhhv6yv
— many nigga face god (@brantweezy) January 13, 2025
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You can see more reactions to Zuck’s thoughts on Apple below.
1. Hmmmmmmm
3. Well damn
5. Some folks agree with Mark Zuckerberg
6. Truth hurts sometimes
8. Let Mark know how you really feel
10. S A L T Y
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Source: NurPhoto / Getty / Facebook / Mark Zuckerberg
Following Mark Zuckerberg’s announcement that his company, Meta, will no longer be fact-checking, Facebook is already feeling the effects of that bonehead decision.
The Meta founder is being smacked with fake news headlines after announcing a policy shift on his social media platforms, Facebook, Instagram, and Threads, to end fact-checking, replacing it with “community notes,” copying Phony Stark, aka Elon Musk’s lame social media platform, X.
Per Raw Story:
One headline shared on X read, “Mark Zuckerberg-Dead at 36-Says Social Media Sites Should Not Fact-Check Posts.“
“‘I killed Jeffrey Epstein but still miss him every day.’ -Mark Zuckerberg, 2023,” another headline reads.
“Mark Zuckerberg, recipient of world’s first rat penis transplant, announces Meta will stop fact-checking,” read one headline shared on Facebook from “The Hard Times News.”
Just recently, the Zuck stopped by every conspiracy theorist and dumb a** favorite podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience, where he spoke about how the Biden administration allegedly “called up his team” and “screamed at them” to take down COVID-19 vaccine-related memes and misinformation claiming in response his company said “no were not going to take down things that are true, that’s ridiculous.”
Mark Zuckerberg proved to be a MAGA coward. 🙄
He waited to see what the outcome of the election would be before getting rid of DEI policies and fact-checking. He wanted to make sure the majority supported Trump.
I see why people say ‘eat the rich’ now.pic.twitter.com/d6RJCRl7sw
— Ryan Shead (@RyanShead) January 11, 2025
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Social Media Is Lighting Mark Zuckerberg Up
While the fake headlines are pouring in on Facebook, Zuckerberg is feeling the wrath of users on X, with them accusing him of being a closeted Republican and a coward for being one of the many big tech CEOs capitulating and bowing down to Donald Trump ahead of his incoming and dreaded second term as President of The United States.
Mark Zuckerberg and all of the other billionaire bro oligarchs will do and say anything to protect their power, perks, and privileges. Why is anybody surprised that he has literally thrown his arms around Joe Rogan? And it will only get worse. pic.twitter.com/A8jZINSHqH
— Russell Drew (@RussOnPolitics) January 10, 2025
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No lies detected.
You can see more reactions in the gallery below.
1. Lol, damn
3. A MAGA coward? Damn
4. Pretty much
7. A thread you should read
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Source: Xbox / Xbox Developer_Direct
Xbox is back with its first Developer_Direct presentation for the new year!
On Thursday, January 9, Xbox announced that a Developer_Direct is coming. Gamers can expect updates and an inside look at several games launching on the Xbox Series X and Series S this year.
Like the last Developer_Direct, Xbox will take us inside the studios for Compulsion Games in Montreal, Canada, to get more insight on South of Midnight, then jump to Montpellier, France, to visit Sandfall Interactive for a look at Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, then the iconic id Studios in Richardson, Texas to see how far DOOM: The Dark Ages, has come along.
But that’s not all. Like the last Developer_Direct, Xbox has a surprise, teasing a brand new game from a mystery studio, which will also be revealed during the presentation.
Aaron Greenberg, Microsoft’s VP of Games Marketing, tweeted that the mystery title is a “surprise unannounced game.”
A surprise unannounced game we hope you will enjoy along with the rest of the show! 💚
— Aaron Greenberg (@aarongreenberg) January 9, 2025
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The Developer_Direct can be viewed on all Xbox channels at 10 a.m. PT / 1 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. UK time.
Here is a breakdown from Xbox about each title, except for the mystery game below.
DOOM: The Dark Ages:
Developed by id Software, DOOM: The Dark Ages is the prequel to the critically acclaimed DOOM (2016) and DOOM Eternal that tells the epic cinematic origin story of the Doom Slayer’s rage. In this third installment of the modern DOOM series, players will step into the blood-stained boots of the Doom Slayer in this never-before-seen dark and sinister medieval war against Hell. Learn more during the full game reveal at Developer_Direct.
South of Midnight:
Compulsion Games, the creators of Contrast and We Happy Few, will share a deep dive on South of Midnight, a third person action-adventure game set in the American Deep South. As Hazel, you will explore the mythos and confront mysterious creatures inspired by Southern Folklore to unravel her family’s hidden past in this dark, modern folktale.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33:
Sandfall Interactive will take us behind-the-scenes at their studio to shed some light on the development of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, this debut studio’s incredible new RPG. The team will share more about the game’s creation and how they plan to deliver an incredible story in a gorgeous fantasy world.
Sounds lit. We can’t wait to see what the mystery game is.