On Friday, the nationβs highest court heard arguments on whether to uphold or block a law that could effectively ban TikTokβ in the U.S. The bill, signed into law by President Biden in April 2024, gives TikTokβs parent company ByteDance until January 19 to divest its U.S. operations or face a ban in the country. [β¦]
A lawyer for TikTok argued before the Supreme Court on Friday that a ban on the social network would violate TikTokβs and Americansβ First Amendment rights. The Supreme Court this morning heard arguments on whether to overturn or delay a law that could effectively ban TikTokβ in the U.S. The bill, officially titled the Protecting [β¦]
TikTok said it would "go dark" this month if the Supreme Court doesn't extend a divestment deadline.
TikTok users would likely stop seeing videos after January 19, and the app would leave app stores.
The company is arguing its case against a divest-or-ban law before the Supreme Court on Friday.
TikTok said it would "go dark" in the US later this month if the Supreme Court fails to extend a January 19 divestment deadline set by a divest-or-ban law.
During oral arguments before the Supreme Court on Friday, the company's attorney Noel Francisco said TikTok's partners, like app store hosts and other service providers, would stop working with it if its Chinese owner ByteDance fails to divest its US operations by the 19th. That would force TikTok to shut down.
"It's essentially going to stop operating," Francisco told the court. "I think that's the consequence of this law, which is why I think a short reprieve here would make all the sense in the world."
This means a TikTok ban would not only prevent the app from being downloaded but also likely block existing users from seeing videos. The app wouldn't continue operating in the US the way "Fortnite" did, for example, when Apple removed the game from its app store amid a dispute between the companies.
"This is not a dispute between two private parties," G.S. Hans, a clinical professor of law at Cornell Law School, told Business Insider. "This is a dispute between a private party and the government, and the government can pretty easily legally prevent a company from operating."
TikTok filed a legal challenge against the divest-or-ban law in May. The bill asked its China-based owner, ByteDance, to separate itself from the US version of TikTok within nine months or be forced to stop operating in the US. The company lost its case in the DC Circuit last month, and it's now asking the Supreme Court for an emergency injunction to pause its divestment deadline.
During oral arguments, the company pushed back on the idea that it could divest the US version of TikTok from the rest of the company. Francisco described that process as "extraordinarily difficult" over any timeline.
The consortium has an uphill battle to acquire TikTok, despite the app being threatened with a ban in the US if it's not sold by January 19.
Bytedance insists it has no plans to sell the app, which has some 170 million US users, despite President Joe Biden signing a law in April setting a deadline for the app to be sold, or face a ban.
Bytedance is challenging the law in the Supreme Court after losing appeals in lower courts, claiming the potential ban from US app stores is a violation of the First Amendment right to free speech.
The court is due to hear oral arguments in the case on Friday.
Any deal to buy TikTok is complicated by the fact that TikTok's recommendation algorithm β the key to the app's compulsive scrolling β is likely covered by Chinese export rules prohibiting the sale of sensitive technology without a license.
No clarity
McCourt told Business Insider in December that the group's $20 billion-plus proposal, which would not include the recommendation algorithm, is complicated because "we don't know what ByteDance is selling."
He said that Bytedance had refused to discuss a potential sale, meaning it was "very, very difficult to have precision" over what a deal might look like.
McCourt and O'Leary's vision for the app, which is also backed by the likes of investment firm Guggenheim Securities and World Wide Web inventor Tim Berners-Lee, includes turning TikTok into a decentralized social media app that gives users more control over their personal data.
The group said they would aim to work closely with incoming president Donald Trump, who has previously expressed support for TikTok and met with the company's CEO last month.
Bytedance did not immediately respond to a request for comment from BI.
On Friday, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments on the TikTok divest-or-ban law.
TikTok asked the court to pause its divestment deadline, set for January 19.
Legal experts expect the Supreme Court to uphold the law despite pressing the government on its case.
TikTok is fighting for its life as it faces a US ban set to arrive in a little over a week. On Friday, it argued its case before the Supreme Court.
The justices peppered attorneys on both sides with questions about a law that compels TikTok's Chinese owner, ByteDance, to divest from the US version of TikTok by January 19 or be forced to shut the app down.
Legal experts told Business Insider that TikTok's prospects remain dim.
Matthew Schettenhelm, a litigation and policy analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence, said he thinks TikTok's chances of a Supreme Court rescue look slimmer after Friday's hearing.
"I expect the court to deny the stay, probably soon, and also uphold the law," he told BI.
Alan Rozenshtein, a former Justice Department official and current University of Minnesota law professor, said the government "got hard questions in a way that it did not at the DC Circuit," but that doesn't mean TikTok will get a better outcome.
"I don't think that's going to be enough," Rozenshtein told BI. "I still think the most likely outcome is the law will be upheld."
He gave an 80% chance that the Supreme Court would uphold the law.
What TikTok and the government argued in court
Many of the back-and-forths in the Supreme Court hearing centered on whether a TikTok divestment was the only path to solving Congress' national security concerns and if the law violated the free-speech rights of TikTok and its users. TikTok's attorney asked why the company had been singled out in the law and why e-commerce platforms like Shein and Temu were granted exemptions.
TikTok is asking the justices to reverse a December DC Circuit decision upholding the divest-or-ban law. TikTok is also asking for a pause on its divestment deadline to give the court more time to consider its case (and give TikTok more time to potentially negotiate a political resolution).
TikTok doesn't appear to think divestment is a feasible option. During oral arguments on Friday, TikTok's lawyer, Noel Francisco, said it would be "extraordinarily difficult" to divest its US platform from the rest of TikTok globally over any timeline.
TikTok may be hoping for a solution that does not involve a sale, possibly brokered by President-elect Donald Trump, who has said he opposes a ban.
What happens next
After January 19, TikTok said it would "go dark" without court intervention as it would be pulled from app stores. Its service providers would also stop working with the company.
"It's essentially going to stop operating. I think that's the consequence of this law, which is why I think a short reprieve here would make all the sense in the world," Francisco, the TikTok lawyer, said.
Why is TikTok facing a ban?
TikTok was included in the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, passed in April. The act sought to limit the influence of social apps with ties to countries the US deemed foreign adversaries to guard national security interests. ByteDance is headquartered in China, which the US government has called a foreign adversary.
While members of both parties in Congress have raised alarm bells about TikTok, support for a ban among the American public has declined. Support for a government ban fell from 50% in March 2023 to 32% in July and August among US adults who responded to Pew Research Center surveys.
Donald Trump may try to save TikTok as president, as he pledged to do during his campaign run. On December 27, Trump filed anΒ amicus briefΒ asking the Supreme Court to pause the deadline for a TikTok divestment so he could try to negotiate a political resolution once in office.
Wildfires are currently devastating the greater Los Angeles area, burning over 45 square miles, torching over 1,300 structures, and putting nearly 180,000 people under evacuation orders as of Thursday. And yet, TikTokβs LA-based employees are being told to either continue their work from home or use their personal/sick days if thatβs not possible, while the [β¦]
Cover Corp, a top virtual influencer company, is expanding its business in the US.
Its creators, known as VTubers, use digital avatars and are gaining popularity on YouTube.
The company is using sold-out live events and collaborations with traditional media to grow abroad.
Japan-based Cover Corporation is betting on the US as the next big market for growing its virtual anime-style influencer fan base.
The company manages creators who use technology to appear in videos and other online posts as digital avatars, often resembling anime characters. These influencers are most popular on YouTube. The VTubers, as they're known, typically livestream. Many make music or play games.
Their popularity is small but on the rise. From January 2023 to June 2023, VTubers comprised 1.4% of the active YouTube live gaming community but captured 9.6% of all viewer hours, according toΒ dataΒ from the game-marketing platform GameSight. VTuber viewership increased by 28% during the period, while that of other gaming creators on YouTube Live fell by 6%.
Cover is one of several companies that exclusively work with VTubers to expand their businesses. Its agency division, Hololive Production, manages VTubers in Japan, Indonesia, and English-speaking countries, which have been a major area of expansion for the company since 2023.
Last year, Cover opened an office in Los Angeles through its first overseas subsidiary.
Hololive's popular VTubers in the US include Mori Calliope (2.49 million YouTube subscribers) and Nerissa Ravencroft (805,000 YouTube subscribers). Globally, its talent includes some of the most-watched and subscribed VTuber channels on YouTube.
Mori Calliope is a VTuber with 2.49 million subscribers.
Cover Corp
The company's international expansion has helped boost revenue and earnings. Cover's revenue rose 50% year over year to 10,688 million yen, about $67.6 million, during its last reported quarter, which ended in October. It posted a profit of 1,500 million yen during the period.
Cover has a market capitalization of about $160 billion yen, or around $1 billion.
Motoaki Tanigo, CEO of Cover, spoke to Business Insider in an interview conducted through translators. In 2025, he said the company plans to focus on gaming collaborations, pop-up shops, and live events like concerts to grow its business in the US.
While Hololive primarily manages livestreamers, several of the company's creators sing and make their own music. That has opened up avenues for revenue and growth.
Mori Calliope, for instance, is scheduled to headline a solo concert in February in Los Angeles. Hololive's VTuber talent uses 3D technology to bring its digital avatars to the stage.
Tanigo said music is one of the top ways its talent reaches new audiences.
In 2023, Cover held a concert at the 6,000-seat YouTube Theater in LA, which sold out in 30 minutes, the company said. Its August concert at the Kings Theater in New York, another 6,000-seat venue, sold out in 10 minutes.
"The popularity of these events proves that North American audiences have a tremendous appetite for VTuber content," Tanigo said. "Our goal is to elevate VTubers alongside popular Japanese exports like manga, anime, and games."
Cover's top revenue drivers are merchandise, such as made-to-order items and a collectible card game; streaming revenue from super chats and channel memberships; concerts and live events; and licensing and collaborations, per its earnings report. Licensing and collaborations was the fastest-growing segment.
Hololive's international expansion
In 2025, the company is making a behind-the-scenes shift that it hopes will make its VTubers more engaging.
Until now, Hololive's VTuber models had been created through the gaming software Unity. Tanigo said the company is switching to another platform, Unreal Engine, which it believes will create "better quality" models.
The company is also working on finding better ways to sell tickets to and improve its in-person events. Tanigo said he'd love to see a function on YouTube or Twitch for ticket sales and better real-time translation for live videos, for example.
Hololive's international expansion has faced roadblocks.
Tanigo said the company has struggled with music copyright outside Japan, including getting the rights for talent to cover a song.
One of his priorities for the year ahead is to make inroads into traditional US media.
In Japan, the company has placed its talent on TV shows and other traditional media spots, and the team is working on animation projects based on its talent.
"We'd like to have that opportunity in the US as well and try to have more exposure in a TV show and different types of mediums," Tanigo said.
The author's daughter (not pictured) couldn't use TikTok during her trip to India.
Fiordaliso/Getty Images
I took my 14-year-old daughter on a trip to India.
When we arrived, she realized she couldn't access TikTok for our trip.
At first, she panicked, but then she realized she didn't need TikTok to stay connected.
Recently, I took my 14-year-old daughter on a once-in-lifetime trip to India. When we landed, I was excited to see the Taj Mahal and embark on a safari for a chance to see one of the country's famed Bengal tigers.
My daughter was also elated when we landed in India but for a much different reason. After a long flight, she looked forward to connecting to WiFi to see what she had missed. However, her joy quickly turned to despair when she discovered that TikTok was banned in India due to national security concerns posed by the Chinese-owned app, concerns shared by the United States that may lead to a national ban later this month.
In contrast, I was thrilled. I spent years trying to limit my daughter's access to TikTok. At times, this caused my daughter to crumple in tears, insisting that she was the only one without access to the creator's "everyone" was following. Eventually, I lightened up, but I still question that decision.
I was happy that for the next two weeks, the government of India and I were perfectly aligned on this issue. They could be the bad guys in my teenager's eyes instead of me.
My daughter wasn't convinced she could live without TikTok
After a few minutes without TikTok, my daughter declared, "I can't do this. I am getting on a plane and going home right now." I reminded her that a TikTok ban is looming in the United States and that a world without the app might be her new reality. While challenges are still pending, the app could disappear as soon as January 19th in the United States.
I reasoned that our two weeks in India might be her chance to ease out of using the app and see what life is like without TikTok. That would make the transition easier if the TikTok ban goes through at home, I reasoned. She didn't find my logic compelling, but since I told her she would have to pay for her own ticket home, she decided to make the best of it and stay.
She asked her friend for updates
At first, my daughter brought up how unfair it was that she could not access TikTok several times a day. I gently teased her that skincare and fashion trends wouldn't change before we got home. She was not amused, but I was happy not to be the bad guy in this scenario.
My daughter texted her best friend, who had the good fortune to still have access to TikTok back home, to ask what she was missing. Her friend shared news about some new reels she thought my daughter would like, but nothing earth-shattering. Gradually, my daughter stopped asking and stopped complaining.
She realized she could live without TikTok
After our first week in India, I asked my daughter how her TikTok detox was going. She snapped back that she hadn't been on her phone that much. I gave her a wry smile and asked if she thought there was a connection. My daughter was adamant that the two were unrelated, but I wasn't convinced.
A TikTok-less world didn't end my daughter's obsession with her phone. She told me that she started watching Instagram reels instead, which she enjoyed more than she thought she would.
We talked about what she would do if a TikTok ban were enacted in the US. Although my daughter was emphatic that she did not want that to happen, she told me that she would follow her favorite creators on Instagram but would cut some others loose. As a parent, I wonder if it'd make her reassess her relationship with social media, too.
I am not naive. I know that it's unrealistic to expect any teenager to abandon social media entirely. I know that if TikTok is banned in the United States, my daughter will fill the gap with other apps, which is what happened in India. However, I still feel comforted knowing that those apps will not pose the same threats as TikTok.
Nevertheless, I am glad that the two weeks my daughter spent without TikTok showed her that she can survive in a world without TikTok.
Triller, a would-be competitor to TikTok, is hoping to capitalize on the potential TikTok ban in the U.S. by pitching to creators to move their content from the popular short-form video app to its own. The company has now launched a website, SaveMyTikToks.com, which promises to back up all your TikTok videos by uploading them [β¦]
TikTok influencer Jools Lebron sparked the "very mindful, very demure" trend, with many brands jumping on the bandwagon.
The Hapa Blonde/GC Images
TikTok published its global "What's Next" trends report for marketing creatives on Wednesday.
It advised marketers to try out AI tech and hire a wider set of creators to reach niche communities.
TikTok also dove into how marketers should change how they talk about life stages with consumers.
TikTok thinks marketers should lean into artificial intelligence as a creative tool in 2025.
It's one of several trends TikTok laid out on Wednesday in its 2025 "What's Next" report, which breaks down the culture and technology trends the company thinks will shape marketing in the coming year.
It's also recommending brands hire a wider set of influencers to reach niche communities and adjust how they speak to a new crop of consumers who view life stages differently than their predecessors.
Business Insider spoke to Cassie Taylor, TikTok's global creative solutions and trends lead, and several marketing partners who had early access to the report about where TikTok marketing is heading next.
TikTok's deep dive into global trends did not address the elephant in the room: its app could be pulled from US app stores as early as January 19, as mandated by a divest-or-ban law. If that does happen, TikTok would still operate in other markets. Brands would likely shift their US attention to other short-video products, such as Instagram reels or YouTube shorts. Taylor declined to comment on a potential ban.
Here are BI's key takeaways from the 36-page report:
1. AI is a marketer's friend, not a foe (hopefully)
Last year, TikTok announced a bunch of new generative-AI tools for marketers inside a creative suite called Symphony. The product allows creatives to generate ad scripts and trend summaries and translate and dub videos into new languages, among other offerings. One of Symphony's more striking features helps brands use AI-generated avatars built from the likenesses of influencers or paid actors. That tool remains in limited use, Taylor said.
Some influencers and marketers have expressed nervousness about the potential for generative AI to take away jobs. TikTok acknowledged that uncertainty in its report. Still, the company wrote that marketers can gain a "creative edge" if they embrace AI.
"Even a few years ago when we started to see different apps come out with AI, it was a little bit of, 'Do we like this? Do we not like this?' Should we be worried about it?'" Taylor said. "It's now been around just enough time from a trend perspective for people to really see its value."
Bridget Jewell, an executive creative director at Dentsu Creative who sits on a creative partner council for TikTok, said the agency uses TikTok's Symphony suite to come up with video ideas and identify trending sounds.
"It's the tool that allows us to think about things differently," Jewell said.
2. Work with influencers to connect with niche communities
Marketers go back and forth on whether to hire celebrities and mega influencers for reach or to work with creators who have more targeted audiences. TikTok is betting the latter will take off in 2025.
"As communities seek trusted voices, more people are becoming creators, from quiet reviewers to quirky characters," the company wrote in its report. "It's not about the loudest voice, but increasing the number of creators, sometimes even by 50% β to drive impact at scale."
Working with creators who know how to speak to a specific community can help a brand build trust, Taylor said.
"I'm not saying there isn't a time and place for a mass message," Taylor said. "What I'm saying is people will build a relationship with you on TikTok if you're talking to them like the community."
Jamie Gersch, chief marketing officer of the fashion brand Rothy's, told BI the company looks to work on campaigns with influencers who are already engaging with its products on social media.
"The in-house team is living and breathing on the platform and finding people that are naturally talking about us and love us," Gersch said.
3. Brands should treat life stages differently for modern consumers
Marketers should rethink the way they talk about traditional life milestones like buying a home when they speak to TikTok users.
These milestones can induce "FOMO and anxiety about falling behind," the company wrote. It pointed to users on the app who have shared their struggles with student debt and homeownership.
Instead of posting videos that value classic life stages, brands could lean into other goals TikTok users have shown they care about, like improving mental health or going on a hike.
"People are getting married later. People are moving abroad as a milestone. People are having different career goals," Taylor said.
Some people like listening to audiobooks at a faster pace.
Getty Images
An Audible ad has sparked a debate on TikTok over audiobook speed preferences.
Someone in the ad said that anyone who listens to audiobooks "real fast" is a "psychopath."
Critics argued the ad's tone was condescending, while others said taking offense was an overreaction.
An Audible advertisement has caused a stir on TikTok, upsetting some fans with the suggestion that there is a right β and wrong β way to listen to audiobooks.
Over the weekend, Audible released an ad promoting its narration speed feature in which celebrities, authors, and audiobook narrators were asked for their thoughts on the ideal listening speed.
Some said they liked to listen at 1.5 or above ("SNL" star Bowen Yang said 1.8). Others, however, were purists and thought the right pace was "the speed at which it was recorded."
While some viewers saw the video as lighthearted fun, others took offense and felt Audible was alienating its audience.
"I listened to your judgmental ad on 2x speed π" one viewer commented. Another asked: "Is this rage bait??"
Some said they found the tone of the ad condescending, especially as consuming audiobooks and other media at a faster speed can be helpful for some people with ADHD.
"I'm used to running around. So when I watch TV or listen to podcasts, it's not that I am rushing the show; more that I'm avoiding the silences and long pauses in between, which can slow things down," Barlow said.
Stephanie Mitropoulos, who posts book reviews to her 88,000 followers on TikTok, made a video in response.
"They literally have a clip of someone saying that if you listen over one time speed, you are psychopathic," she said in her video, which amassed more than 300,000 views.
Mitropoulos said her preferred speed was somewhere around 1.85, and she knew of many other people who liked to listen to 1.5x or above.
She said she thought it was "absurd" to make such a flippant comment.
"Why would you even post that? Why would you put that out there? Why are we trying to shame people for listening at the speed that is most comfortable for them?" Mitropoulos said. "I don't spend $16 a month to be called a psychopath."
Many commenters echoed Mitropoulos's views, but others thought it was an overreaction.
In the comments under Auduble's original video, viewers have shared dismay that some were upset by it.
"This is what made people upset?" one person wrote. "This can't be it."
A TikToker called Emma Skies, who has 174,000 followers on her BookTok account, said in a video she feared society was "losing context" and taking the ad too seriously.
"Do we truly think that it's strange or anger-inducing or offensive that when a performer, an audiobook narrator, is asked, Hey, at what speed do you think your performance and your peers' performances are best consumed? And that that performer says, 'the speed at which I performed it'?" Skies said.
She felt the ad was intended as a joke and not meant to mock anyone β especially as Audible was promoting the speed function.
"Nobody cares. They're not going to stop you," she said. "There's a reason that that's an option on Audible."
In a message to Business Insider, Skies said her video was less about Audible and more about "encouraging people to keep in mind the context of any piece of media they see, even silly little ads."
Authors who are exclusively linked with Audible benefit from a higher rate of 40% β something Skies also took issue with.
"Audible Exclusives are hoarded not only from other retailers (as one might expect of a retailer exclusive), but also from being available to public libraries because of Amazon's monopolistic business practices," she said.
Amazon and Audible did not respond to requests for comment from BI.
i fear we are losing the ability to reason with context AND I think a lot of people forget that audiobook narration is, at its core, a performance. You know who doesnβt forget that? The performer! π Why are people mad at performers who think their performances should be taken in at the speed that they performed it?? but lowkey if it really gets people riled up enough to not use audible I guess thatβs a win? π #audiobooks#audiobooktok#booktok#audible#booktoker
A forthcoming paper analyzed how different social media platforms surfaced content that displayed positive and negative sentiments toward the Chinese Communist Party.
TikTok's sister app, Lemon8, is now one of the Apple App Store's top free apps.
Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Lemon8, TikTok's sister app, is surging in popularity ahead of a possible TikTok ban.
Lemon8 uses TikTok's algorithm and is owned by the same Chinese company, ByteDance.
The Supreme Court will decide this month on the fate of the law that could ban TikTok β and Lemon8.
TikTok owner ByteDance's other social media company, Lemon8, is growing in popularity amid confusion over a possible TikTok ban in the United States.
This week, Lemon8 shot to the No. 1 spot for free apps on Apple's App Store.
What users might not realize is that the law that would ban TikTok, if it is held up by the Supreme Court and then enforced by the administration of President-elect Donald Trump, would also likely ban Lemon8.
Lemon8 is the "sister app" to TikTok. It's a social media platform for photo slideshows, more similar to Pinterest or Instagram than TikTok, which is an exclusively short video platform. Lemon8 uses the same algorithm as TikTok. It is now the No. 2 free app, beating out competitors like ChatGPT.
But, like TikTok, its future is tenuous.
Congress passed the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act in April. The law gives ByteDance, TikTok's Chinese parent company, until January 19 to sell TikTok. If a sale doesn't take place, TikTok will be banned in the United States.
Trump filed an amicus brief with the Supreme Court on December 27, asking the justices to pause the law until after his inauguration so he could "pursue a political resolution."
The law would also likely ban Lemon8. The bill's text specifically names TikTok and ByteDance as covered companies. However,Β its language is broad and could affectΒ any company owned by a foreign "adversary" that permits users to "create an account or profile to generate, share, and view text, images, videos, real-time communications, or similar content."
Experts previously told Business Insider that Lemon8's success indicates that ByteDance is willing to introduce new apps to keep growing despite a TikTok ban.
"This is a huge business for ByteDance. They're not gonna go down without swinging," David Glancy, a professor at the Institute of World Politics, previously told BI.
Sameer Singh, a top TikTok ad executive, is leaving the company next month, an internal memo said.
Singh oversaw the company's North America ads team.
His departure comes at a challenging moment for the company, which faces a potential US ban.
The TikTok advertising sales exec Sameer Singh is leaving the company, an internal memo shared with the sales team on Friday said.
Singh, whose last day at TikTok is set for the end of February, served as a general manager for global business solutions in North America, overseeing its ads business in the region.
TikTok's global business solutions team includes staffers who work on ad sales and client relationships with brands that run marketing campaigns on the platform.
The memo, written by Blake Chandlee, the president of global business solutions, said Singh joined TikTok in 2019 and focused on the company's monetization work in India before TikTok was banned there in 2020. He helped the company set up its businesses in regions like Brazil and Southeast Asia. Two years ago he took on the role of global business solutions lead in North America.
Singh's exit from TikTok comes at a perilous moment for the company. The app could be pulled from US app stores on January 19 because of a divest-or-ban law. TikTok has asked for an emergency injunction from the Supreme Court, which plans to hear oral arguments later this month.
If the courts don't rescue TikTok, Donald Trump could. The incoming president filed an amicus brief last week asking the highest court to pause TikTok's divest-or-ban deadline so he has time to try to negotiate a solution.
Singh did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.
Read the full memo on his departure below:
Hi all -
I want to share with you that Sam Singh, GM for GBS in NA, has informed us of his decision to leave the Company at the end of February, at the end of his current 2-year assignment leading the NA ads business.
Sam has been a steadfast and trusted leader at TikTok for more than five years and his contributions to our GBS business have been significant and far-reaching. Upon joining in 2019, Sam led our monetization efforts in India, helping manage changes as a result of the India ban in 2020. Sam also played a key role in establishing our businesses in Brazil, Southeast Asia, and APAC during his next chapter at TikTok. Two years ago, Sam stepped in to lead GBS in North America, diving in with our teams and XFN partners to continue driving innovative and market-leading solutions. Notably, throughout 2024, Sam has led our teams in the US and Canada through an unprecedented political environment, dedicated to protecting our incredible users, creators and the business partners that use TikTok every day.
Sam will return to India at the end of January and remain available to support the NA team through the end of February. We will immediately begin the search for a new leader to oversee our NA business. In the interim, effective February 1st, all of Sam's direct reports will report to me directly, and we will provide next steps as they are finalized.
Although we cannot share his next career step, I am excited for Sam and his next chapter. Please join me in thanking Sam for his countless contributions and wishing him continued success.
Molly Rutter left her teaching job to pursue influencing in August.
She's faced challenges online but says it's still easier than being overworked and underpaid.
Now, she earns money through TikTok's creator program and customized videos for her followers.
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Molly Rutter, a 32-year-old TikToker in Buffalo, NY. The following has been edited for length and clarity.
According to Glassdoor, the median pay for teachers at Rutter's former employer is $65,000. Rutter says she made significantly less than that.
If teaching paid me enough, I'd still be doing it. It's the best thing I've ever done as a career.
It's no secret that teachers make next to nothing, and no one goes into it for the money. But after five years and getting my master's in childhood education, I left teaching in August to pursue social media full time.
I started making TikTok videos as a side gig while working abroad in 2022 in the hopes of becoming a home decor influencer account. Over time, I found that people were really interested in me and my life.
I felt overworked as a teacher in the US
Once I realized the income potential, I applied to the creator program in 2023 and finally started making money from TikTok. That's when I started getting pulled in different ways for my career.
My content revolves around anything and everything about my life. I do vlogs, shopping hauls, sharing places I'm going out, sharing my travel experiences, and sharing my dating content.
I taught at a private school in Istanbul from 2020 until January 2024, when I returned to Buffalo. Although I've always struggled financially, I lived comfortably teaching abroad.
It was, by far, the highest quality of life I've ever lived. As a teacher in Buffalo, I was working myself to the bone.
If you love teaching, you'll still do it as long as you can afford rent. If you really want to do it, you can make it work.
I had a different story.
I had to choose
I taught third grade at a prestigious private school in Buffalo, and they were uncomfortable with my public platform on social media. Normally, teachers make everything private, but I had a few viral videos.
I completely stand by my content. I didn't swear online when I was a teacher; I never showed myself drinking. Yet my school still seemed to have a problem with it.
I was going through a roller coaster of feeling like I had a negative spotlight on something that was the only reason I was surviving in the States. I couldn't afford to pay my rent for the last three months I worked as a teacher.
I thought to myself: "No way do I have over $200,000 in student loan debt to work a job where I'm overworked, underpaid, and told I can't do something on the side that brings me financial security."
My job isn't stressful anymore
TikTok's creator rewards program pays out for every 1,000 qualified views. These views must come from the "For You" feed and only count if the viewer stays on your video for over five seconds.
That's what makes me the most money, but I also film custom Cameo videos for $10 to $20 and promote items from the TikTok Shop.
My job now is easy, and I've never made less than what I was making as a teacher. It fluctuates, but I've had months where I've made more than double what I was making as a teacher.
My most viral content so far has been my dating content, but I'm just sharing facets of my life online.
TikTok still has its challenges
People try to pressure me; they want me to fit in a certain box. I'm not dating for content. No way in hell am I going to go on a date every day.
The bigger I get online, the more people's perceptions of me become detached from who I actually am. It's almost like a caricature of Molly Rutter who exists online.
I don't subscribe to the identity that people are trying to force me into because that's not truly who I am.
The value that I've gained with my time and mental health is so significant β on top of the fact that I'm making more than I once was.
Teaching filled my soul, but I don't regret leaving.
At a glance, the dozens of apps I've downloaded this year fall into a few themes: IRL social, close-friends-focused apps, social shopping, and anti-swipe dating apps.
Last year, I highlighted 13 apps that I downloaded in 2023 as part of my reporting on the social-media industry. Since writing that story, some of those startups have continued to grow, while others have been acquired, and a few have had to pivot.
For instance, Artifact, an AI-driven news app founded by the original creators of Instagram, shut down and was acquired by Yahoo. Lex, a queer social network, laid off staff before getting acquired by mobile app conglomerate 9count. And Landing, a creative social collaging app reminiscent of Polyvore, changed course and pivoted to building Zeen, a shoppable blogging platform.
Meanwhile, new apps have launched or expanded this year, making their way onto my phone (which, yes, has very low storage).
Here are the three of the best apps I downloaded in 2024:
Disclaimer: These are my favorite downloads of the year and this is very much an opinion.
1. PI.FYI is a recommendations-based feed
Screenshot/Business Insider; PI.FYI
What it is: Created by the team behind the pop-culture newsletter Perfectly Imperfect, PI.FYI is a mostly text-based feed where people answer questions, share recommendations, and post micro-blogs about topics like music or film. The app was built by ex-Meta staffer Tyler Bainbridge, who cofounded the PI newsletter with Alexander Cushing.
When it launched: 2024
Why I haven't deleted it: When I'm on the hunt for new forms of media to consume (be it books, movies, music, etc.), I'll open up PI.FYI to see what people are sharing. The app lets you add a link to a post, which helps when going down rabbit holes. Posting there sometimes feels like writing into the void on Tumblr or Twitter in 2012 (in a good way).
2. Airbuds lets you see what friends are listening to
Screenshot/Business Insider; Airbuds
What it is: It's a feed of music. It's that simple. Airbuds pulls information from several music streaming platforms (including Spotify, Apple Music, and Soundcloud). The team behind Airbuds also built Cappuccino, a social-audio app that launched in the early days of Clubhouse.
When it launched: 2022
Why I haven't deleted it: I switched from Spotify to Apple Music several years ago, and the one feature I missed was the ability to see what my friends were listening to. Airbuds lets me do just that and also makes it easy to save music to my own library.
3. IRL social app 222 coordinates experiences with strangers
Screenshot/Business Insider; 222
What it is: 222, which started as a dinner series in Los Angeles in 2021, is an app that matches users with strangers for in-person experiences. The in-person events range from dinner and drinks to DIY art classes, and users take a robust personality quiz that is used to pair them with compatible matches. It was founded by Keyan Kazemian, Danial Hashemi, and Arman Roshannai, and was part of Y Combinator. In February, 222 announced it had raised a $2.5 million seed investment round.
When it launched: 2021 (222 expanded to New York in 2024)
Why I haven't deleted it: I've gone to several experiences through 222 this year and even made a few friends along the way. I've described the app to friends as a way of working out my socializing muscles, more than a guaranteed way to make friends or find new romantic sparks. You do have to pay a fee to access the curated experience (the monthly fee, for example, is about $22) on top of drinks, food, and other expenses.
TikTok parent company ByteDance has big plans to buy Nvidia chips in 2025 βΒ despite U.S. restrictions. ByteDance plans to spend $7 billion on the chips in 2025, according to reporting from The Information, citing inside sources. If ByteDance follows through, it will become one of the worldβs top owners of Nvidia chips, despite U.S. efforts [β¦]
