Discussion

• @cnbc @cnbc on x

  “I think there's a lot of different synergies there,” TikTok's interim head Vanessa Pappas says about Walmart. https://www.cnbc.com/... https://twitter.com/...

• @broderick Ryan Broderick on x

  This is spot on. I read two great pieces last year about how Chinese e-commerce portals have turned Douyin accounts (Chinese sister app to TikTok) into virtual storefronts. https://a16z.com/... https://www.bloomberg.com/... TikTok's final form was always meant to be monetization…

• @blaw @blaw on x

  Walmart has joined Microsoft's pursuit of TikTok, a surprise move that signals the retail giant's desire to become a technology and media powerhouse. https://blawgo.com/ObaVV4t

• @seyitaylor St. on x

  Good evening. Walmart trying to buy TikTok is the most logical match till date. https://twitter.com/...

• @donaldrichard Don Richard on x

  This makes complete sense. E-commerce and advertising platform for creators and brands. Why is this hard for people to understand? Also, Walmart is everywhere in America. Ads, e-commerce and distribution opportunities are pretty massive here. https://twitter.com/...

• @tomwarren Tom Warren on x

  Walmart says it's partnering with Microsoft on a TikTok deal. You'll be able to create a banger while you bag your groceries. Details here: https://www.theverge.com/... https://twitter.com/...

• @tedgioia Ted Gioia on x

  Walmart owning TikTok seems absurd, almost like the premise of a comedy skit—but what isn't a joke is that the entire music ecosystem is falling under the control of people who don't know music, don't care about music, and have zero concern about the health of our music culture. …

• @broderick Ryan Broderick on x

  In the same way that Google and Facebook are advertising platforms first and search and social platforms second, TikTok's AI-driven short-form video distribution network always meant to cannibalize video advertising. The idea that Walmart will have this tech though is terrifying.

• @loudmouthjulia Julia Alexander on x

  There are popular TikTok accounts dedicated to “shit you should buy from Amazon.” This one has 1.8M followers, and videos rack up hundreds of thousands, sometimes millions, of views. https://www.tiktok.com/... (h/t @chelseabot) Imagine if you could switch Amazon to Wal-Mart. http…

• @jaybaer Jay Baer on x

  All Wal-Mart greetings will now be on a 15-second loop. https://www.cnbc.com/...

• @mikeisaac Rat King on x

  at first I was thrown off by the Walmart thing this morning. but it makes total sense if you know how Douyin, the Chinese TikTok, works. (Hard for westerners, including myself, to see that immediately)

• @danprimack Dan Primack on x

  To be clear(er) on MSFT/WMT... the two sides are working together. It's unclear if they are talking about a “joint bid.” There is some fuzziness around all that.

• @inafried Ina Fried on x

  IKEA may also be interested in TikTok but they are still trying to put together a bid.

• @inafried Ina Fried on x

  Walmart aims to dramatically expand the demographic base of TikTok with live greeters that help people get oriented.

• @satyan Satyan Gajwani on x

  Walmart stock up 6% (or ~$23 billion) after news. Wonder if this statement was them testing the waters to see how market would react to them making a potentially large and transformative digital acquisition/investment https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...

• @kantrowitz Alex Kantrowitz on x

  The promised reality show is well underway https://www.nytimes.com/...

• @lisaabramowicz1 Lisa Abramowicz on x

  Walmart is getting in on the bid to acquire TikTok, potentially giving itself a little extra tech flair. And just like that, traders like the behemoth that much more. Its shares rise more than 5%. https://www.bloomberg.com/... https://twitter.com/...

• @jenniferjjacobs Jennifer Jacobs on x

  Walmart's interest in Tiktok, an app popular with young people, signals the retail giant's desire to become a force in technology and media, and to reach younger shoppers. https://www.google.com/...

• @pkafka Peter Kafka on x

  Great news for Amazon. https://twitter.com/...

• @mattgarrahan Matthew Garrahan on x

  That's one way to increase TikTok's cred with the kids https://twitter.com/...

• @leojtravis10 Joe Ortiz on x

  Walmart lol No wonder Mayer walked out. https://twitter.com/...

• @vijayshekhar Vijay Shekhar Sharma on x

  Why is Disney not in this list yet ? https://twitter.com/...

• @wes_nship Wes Blankenship on x

  I happen to believe that TikTok's should be made exclusively inside of The Wal-marts https://twitter.com/...

• @tokenceo Token Ceo on x

  Woah. Absolute GIANTS in the mix for TikTok. https://twitter.com/...

• @jessicalessin Jessica Lessin on x

  The two companies are big cloud partners. Walmart has been big Azure customer.

• @levie Aaron Levie on x

  I don't understand business anymore, but this is very fun to watch. https://twitter.com/...

• @mehedih_ Mehedi Hassan on x

  bro i go on tiktok to laugh not to buy fucking groceries https://twitter.com/...

• @parismartineau Paris Martineau on x

  “The idea would be to help turn TikTok U.S. into more of an e-commerce app for creators and users, much like what current parent company ByteDance does with a similar app in China.” wild https://www.axios.com/...

• @alexstamos Alex Stamos on x

  That's a combination of consumer product-management powerhouses that will definitely maintain TikTok's viral popularity with teens. https://twitter.com/...

• @sub8u Subrahmanyam Kvj on x

  A 5% Walmart coupon for those with a tiktok account. 10% of you have at least one cringey tiktok 😂 https://www.axios.com/...

• @sherman4949 Alex Sherman on x

  SoftBank's Marcelo Claure originally put together the Walmart/Google/SoftBank consortium. When the US government made it clear Walmart couldn't lead the bid, and Google didn't want to step in, that consortium died and Walmart moved on to Microsoft: https://www.cnbc.com/...

• @can @can on x

  Savage burn by the US govt. Imagine being called not a tech firm in 2020 so definitively. https://twitter.com/...

• @sherman4949 Alex Sherman on x

  If you think Walmart is just playing around here with TikTok, think again — it wanted to be the majority owner. And you can thank SoftBank for the retailer's interest. https://www.cnbc.com/...

• @robinwauters Robin Wauters on x

  Walmart buying TikTok makes more sense than Microsoft or Google don't @ me https://twitter.com/...

• @ruima @ruima on x

  Why does US govt care if tech co is lead investor? Out of concern for ... the users? https://twitter.com/...

• @seyitaylor St. on x

  imagine executing a $3b acquihire only to be told you're not enough of a tech firm... https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...

• @mdudas Mike Dudas on x

  The US government is not good at this (whatever “this” is)... “Walmart wanted to be the majority owner of TikTok, but the U.S. government demanded a technology company that could secure the company's data be the lead investor” https://www.cnbc.com/...

• @carlquintanilla Carl Quintanilla on x

  $WMT “wanted to be the exclusive e-commerce and payments provider for TikTok .. but the U.S. government wanted the lead buyer of TikTok to be a technology company because that would better fit with its national-security rationale ..” ⁦@sherman4949⁩ https://www.cnbc.com/...

• @jordannovet Jordan Novet on x

  ‘Alphabet ... was primarily interested in TikTok as a new cloud computing customer, ... the people said’ https://www.cnbc.com/...

• @cnbcnow @cnbcnow on x

  BREAKING: TikTok CEO Kevin Mayer quit after being excluded from deal talks between the company and Microsoft & Oracle, a source tells @JBoorstin. Multiple sources also tell CNBC that Mayer's exit indicates that a deal—likely a sale to Microsoft—could come in the next 48 hours. ht…

• @neilcybart Neil Cybart on x

  Kevin Mayer (who recently became TikTok CEO after losing to Bob Chapek in the Disney CEO race) just resigned from TikTok. Paraphrasing Mayer: I didn't leave Disney for this dumpster fire. https://www.ft.com/... https://twitter.com/...

• @nytimesbusiness @nytimesbusiness on x

  In a note to employees, the TikTok C.E.O. said that a series of changes to TikTok's structure prompted him to leave https://www.nytimes.com/...

• @koush @koush on x

  By drumming up national security concerns, the US repatriated a multi billion dollar company, in a move that I'm sure will have absolutely no blowback. https://twitter.com/...

• @ruskin147 Rory Cellan-Jones on x

  At this point I shall be making no comment on speculative reports that I am involved in a bid for TikTok https://twitter.com/...

• @mrodofficial Michelle Rodriguez on x

  All that vital American culture data, yup sure it's most dangerous homeland security issue to have a K PoP band make the Potus look like a total reject at his Rally in Tulsa Hahahahha haha cancelling TIK TOK won't save him From Gen Z https://www.wsj.com/...

• @v_ness Vanessa Pappas on x

  Incredibly proud and humbled to take the role of interim head of TikTok. Our community and our team who work so hard to enable this product continue to inspire me. It's truly amazing what we've accomplished in 2 years, I have no doubt what we can accomplish in this next chapter!

• @panzer Matthew Panzarino on x

  re Mayer/Tiktok: I think you would have to be stupid going in not to know that this was a possibility, all of this was on the horizon last year. But it was probably one scenario out of many - the worst case scenario.

• @jessicalessin Jessica Lessin on x

  .@TheWrap reporting Oracle is the one close to the deal for TikTok. Interesting. Haven't confirmed. https://www.thewrap.com/...

• @qhardy Quentin Hardy on x

  Doesn't count unless Larry Ellison submits it in a TikTok old guy dance routine. https://twitter.com/...

• @sal19 @sal19 on x

  Kevin Mayer had just one job: https://www.cnbc.com/...

• @sharonwaxman Sharon Waxman on x

  “The proposed deal would comprise $10 billion in cash, $10 billion in Oracle stock and 50% of annual TikTok profit to flow back to TikTok's China-based parent company, ByteDance, for two years, according to one individual with knowledge of the deal.” https://twitter.com/...

• @loudmouthjulia Julia Alexander on x

  I think it's impossible to write about Mayer leaving TikTok without acknowledging the low level trauma that came with everything that happened at Disney around Chapek/Iger. His resignation, again, reads to me as someone who doesn't want to play a succession game again. https://tw…

• @loudmouthjulia Julia Alexander on x

  Remember: Kevin spent years at Disney, becoming House of Mouse's prince, believing he was about to be appointed the throne. Board said no; Chapek gets appointed; Kevin finds out less than an hour before it's announced. He's supposed to try and play that game again at Microsoft?

• @loudmouthjulia Julia Alexander on x

  For Kevin, TikTok was always about the ability to have a position that Disney very clearly and very publicly said, “Fuck you” to. He was not going to have that same autonomy under a Microsoft. And he's so burned out on the corporate politics, it's easier to just say, “fuck it.”

• @sherman4949 Alex Sherman on x

  Scoop: TikTok set to announce a deal in the coming days, likely in the $20b-$30b range. Walmart had been working on a deal with SoftBank for TikTok, but the lack of cloud tech backbone like MSFT/Oracle has made it unlikely. https://www.cnbc.com/...

• @taylorlorenz Taylor Lorenz on x

  TikTokers were right about August 27th 😭 https://twitter.com/...

• @taralach Tara Lachapelle on x

  TikTok's American makeover just took a bruising It's parent, ByteDance, was relying on a cast of American executives to make the case that it's not Chinese. Now, one has departed, @tculpan says https://www.bloomberg.com/... via @bopinion

• @kylebrussell Kyle Russell on x

  When you just wanted to do business development with major brands for the new hot app, not fight a geopolitical proxy battle https://twitter.com/...

• @esaagar Saagar Enjeti on x

  Let this be a lesson to any Fortune 500 CEO in America. If you gamble your reputation and future to be in league with the Chinese Communist Party You will end up looking like a fool and resigning in disgrace https://twitter.com/...

• @hawleymo Josh Hawley on x

  .@tiktok_us CEO is jumping ship, blames Trump administration. He should blame himself for signing up to be public face of a #Beijing Trojan horse https://www.cnn.com/...

• @niubi Bill Bishop on x

  That went well...how much did he get for three months? https://twitter.com/...

• @wongmjane Jane Manchun Wong on x

  yikes, what a mess https://twitter.com/...

• @joshconstine Josh Constine -SignalFire on x

  TikTok CEO quits He didn't sign up to be some Microsoft/Oracle lackey But he definitely signed up to help a Chinese tech giant dodge US regulation... https://twitter.com/...

• @jason @jason on x

  didn't like working for communists? makes sense https://twitter.com/...

• @martinsfp Martin Sfp Bryant on x

  Wow, TikTok's CEO resigns, not wanting to be in charge of a political football. I thought it was interesting how we'd only really heard publicly from their US General Manager (and now interim CEO) over the past few weeks. https://www.nytimes.com/...

• @karaswisher Kara Swisher on x

  Interesting that the savvy @v_ness will take over for now @tiktok_us. Listen to the interview that @profgalloway and I did with her on @PivotSchooled Live just three weeks ago: https://podcasts.apple.com/... https://twitter.com/...

• @_harshilshah Harshil Shah on x

  Don't think I've seen a resignation before that's just “this is not what I signed up for” https://twitter.com/...

• @refsrc Manish Singh on x

  Kevin Mayer, three months ago, on joining TikTok: “The magnitude of this opportunity was just something I couldn't pass up.” https://www.nytimes.com/...

• @loudmouthjulia Julia Alexander on x

  To hit home just how fresh Kevin was as TikTok CEO, he didn't even get a chance to get a TikTok official photo, so we're all still using the same ol' Disney one from D23 in 2019. That's how short of a stint it was before he was like, “yeah, I'm out.” https://twitter.com/...

• @amlewis4 Ari Lewis on x

  Not a surprise. Why go down with a sinking ship? https://twitter.com/...

• @kurtwagner8 Kurt Wagner on x

  Mayer's role was always going to be complicated if a deal gets done. He was the global CEO of TikTok, and also COO at Bytedance. Spinning off TikTok's U.S. business would have created a weird scenario for him no matter how you slice it.

• @neilcybart Neil Cybart on x

  In joining TikTok, Mayer thought he was going to lead the next Instagram. If he had stayed at Disney, he had a good shot of leading the next Netflix.