On Jan. 19, 2025, 170 million U.S. TikTok users woke up to a new world as ByteDance, TikTok's Chinese parent company, shuttered the app in compliance with the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act (PAFACA), which mandated a sale of its U.S. operations to a U.S.-based company by this date.
Not to worry, by noon, President-elect Donald Trump said he planned to issue an executive order to allow time for ByteDance to work with the new administration on a long-term solution. This situation is dynamic, and I expect many twists and turns in the coming days.
While U.S.-based content creators and SMBs breathe a sigh of relief, let's look at how this could have played out for users, businesses, the creator community, and national security. . -s
P.S. Check out the highlights from the : Linda Yaccarino, Mark Cuban, Jeffrey Katzenberg, May Habib, Anjali Sud, Michael Kassan, and me.
Shelly Palmer is the Professor of Advanced Media in Residence at Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and CEO of The Palmer Group, a consulting practice that helps Fortune 500 companies with technology, media and marketing. Named he covers tech and business for , is a regular commentator on CNN and writes a popular . He's a , and the creator of the popular, free online course, . Follow or visit .
