• TikTok says it is "restoring service" in the United States.
• The company had turned off its app for its 170 million US users on Saturday.
• President-elect Donald Trump said he will issue an executive order on Monday to delay a TikTok ban.

TikTok said on Sunday it is "restoring service" after shutting down its app in the United States to comply with a divest-or-ban law.

The app began coming back online for US users first through web browsers and later on the mobile app.

The company told advertising partners on Sunday that it would soon become available for the majority of US users, but they should expect "some temporary service instability," according to a memo obtained by Business Insider.

"In agreement with our service providers, TikTok is in the process of restoring service," TikTok wrote in a statement to BI. "We thank President Trump for providing the necessary clarity and assurance to our service providers that they will face no penalties providing TikTok to over 170 million Americans and allowing over 7 million small businesses to thrive."

President-elect Donald Trump said on social media on Sunday morning he would issue an executive order to extend the time before "the law's prohibitions take effect," adding that "there will be no liability for any company that helped keep TikTok from going dark" before the order.

The company said it will work with President Trump on a "long-term solution that keeps TikTok in the United States."

A message appearing on TikTok on Sunday after the app came back online said that TikTok is back "as a result of President Trump's efforts."

TikTok switched off its app for its 170 million US users on Saturday, shortly before a legally imposed deadline for owner ByteDance to sell the US version of the app or effectively cease operating in the country. Apple and Google have both removed TikTok from their stores.

The TikTok shutdown followed a drawn-out legal battle over the ban-or-divest law, which was passed by Congress last year. The law required TikTok's Chinese parent company, ByteDance, to sell the app's US operations by January 19 or be banned.

As the deadline neared, a message on the app popped up at around 10:30 p.m. Eastern Time on Saturday: "Sorry, TikTok isn't available right now."

"A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the US. Unfortunately, that means you can't use TikTok for now. We are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to reinstate TikTok once he takes office. Please stay tuned!"

• TikTok has turned off its app for US users.
• The move comes after the company lost a legal challenge to a divest-or-ban law in the Supreme Court.
• The shutdown may not last forever, as TikTok hopes President-elect Donald Trump will step in.

TikTok shut down its app for its US users on Saturday, shortly before the January 19 deadline ordering the app to go dark.

The stoppage came after the company waged a monthslong legal battle against a law that required its Chinese owner, ByteDance, to divest from its US app or effectively cease operating in the country.

"Sorry, TikTok isn't available right now," a message popped up on the screen starting around 10:30 p.m. Eastern Time. "A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the US. Unfortunately, that means you can't use TikTok for now. We are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to reinstate TikTok once he takes office. Please stay tuned!"

The final blow for TikTok came on Friday when the Supreme Court ruled against the company's legal challenge. President Joe Biden's administration signaled on Friday that it would not enforce the ban. A spokesperson said that given the "sheer fact of timing, this administration recognizes that actions to implement the law simply must fall to the next Administration, which takes office on Monday."

Still, a TikTok spokesperson said the same day it would need to go dark unless the Biden administration stepped in and offered assurances to its "most critical service providers" that the law would not be enforced.

The White House said Saturday that TikTok's threat to go dark was a "stunt."

While TikTok has shut its doors to its 170 million US users, the app will continue to operate elsewhere. The company said in 2021 that it had over 1 billion users globally.

Shortly after the Supreme Court ruling, the app's creators and users took to TikTok to mourn the loss and reflect on the end of an era.

"Losing the majority of my audience is a difficult reality to face, and while I'm doing everything I can to prepare, it's hard not to feel like I'm starting over," Sofia Bella, a TikTok creator with 4.8 million followers, told Business Insider.

TikTok's creators and business partners have had weeks to contemplate the prospect of a January 19 app shutdown. Many have crafted plans for transitioning off TikTok if the app disappeared forever, beginning with downloading all their videos.

Some influencer marketers put contingency plans in place to assure brands that creators would post sponsored content on other apps like Instagram if TikTok goes dark. TikTok Shop merchants and their partners began easing off the app in recent days, with some halting US warehouse shipments or pausing distributing free samples to TikTok creators. And marketers put together plans to shift spend to other platforms like Facebook, Instagram reels, and YouTube shorts.

Yet, even as users have spent days memorializing the app, posting nostalgic video round-ups, and begging fans to follow them on other platforms, it seems possible that TikTok could rise again.

While TikTok lost all of its legal challenges to the divest-or-ban law, it's now hoping that President-elect Donald Trump can find a political solution to keep its app around.

Trump told NBC on Saturday that he would "most likely" grant TikTok a 90-day extension to find a non-Chinese buyer for the platform.

"I think that would be, certainly, an option that we look at. The 90-day extension is something that will be most likely done, because it's appropriate. You know, it's appropriate. We have to look at it carefully. It's a very big situation," Trump said, according to the outlet.

"If I decide to do that, I'll probably announce it on Monday," he added.

TikTok's CEO Shou Chew thanked the incoming president in a video on Friday for the "opportunity to work with us to find a solution that keeps TikTok available in the United States."

Trump's options to rescue TikTok from the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act are limited, legal experts previously told Business Insider. The simplest option may be to help try to split off TikTok's US entity from the rest of the world, something TikTok's lawyer, Noel Francisco, told the Supreme Court would be "extraordinarily difficult" over any timeline.

Trump wrote in a social media post on Friday that he would make a decision on the app soon after reviewing the situation.

• TikTok is veering toward a US shutdown after the Supreme Court upheld a divest-or-ban law.
• The app is set to leave app stores and may go dark on Sunday if its owner, ByteDance, doesn't divest.
• TikTok creators and their teams are tired from months of uncertainty, but cautiously hopeful too.

TikTok is in trouble.

The company is set to disappear from US app stores on Sunday due to a divest-or-ban law that requires its owner, ByteDance, to sell the app by January 19 or essentially cease operating in the country. TikTok may stop showing content in the US and "go dark" over the weekend.

For TikTok creators and their teams, ongoing uncertainty around the app's US future has sparked frustration and fatigue.

"We've been dealing with this for months," said Julian Andrews, founder of talent management firm Talentiish. "I just sort of want the situation to be over so we know how to move on."

Some in the talent community are cautiously optimistic that a solution will emerge to save TikTok. President-elect Donald Trump has pledged to try to rescue the app once in office, though his options could be limited.

"So many of us are still holding out hope that it will work out," Barbara Jones, CEO of Outshine Talent, said.

Others aren't holding their breath and are instead focusing on established alternatives, such as Instagram reels and YouTube shorts, as well as challenger apps like Clapper, Flip, and RedNote.

"Many of our clients are making accounts on RedNote and Flip as well as downloading their data from the TikTok app," Jones said. "They are trying to be as prepared as possible."

Creators may be hesitant to commit to new platforms, however, when the advertising dollars are much more reliable on major players like Instagram.

Instagram is, for the most part, the platform of choice among those Business Insider spoke to who are pivoting from TikTok.

Fallen Media, which runs TikTok shows like "What's Poppin? With Davis!" said it will be heavily investing in Instagram reels, for example.

"I have suggested to my clients not to focus on any new platforms and focus on the tried and true," Andrews at Talentiish said.

In the meantime, there's still no clear answer as to what happens this weekend.

"The truth is we don't really know what's going to happen on Sunday, which I think is the crazy part," said Fallen Media CEO Sol Betesh.

Creators are exhausted and devastated to say goodbye to TikTok

As news stories around a TikTok ban swing between good news and legal defeats, some creators have sunk into despair. The Supreme Court loss on Friday hit particularly hard for those whose businesses depend on the app.

"The ruling is truly devastating for me as someone who built their platform starting on TikTok," said Sofia Bella, a TikTok creator with 4.8 million followers. "Losing the majority of my audience is a difficult reality to face, and while I'm doing everything I can to prepare, it's hard not to feel like I'm starting over."

Andrews said the job of talent manager has teetered between acting as a therapist and strategist for the creators they manage.

Some creators are actively fighting against a TikTok ban, including Vitus Spehar, who runs the news account @underthedesknews. Spehar has been covering breaking news and political developments around the divestment. They said Americans should call their senators and other representatives to demand action against the law.

Still, other creators who have experienced burnout from TikTok are welcoming a possible shift if the app goes down.

"Generally, the tone from most internet creators I've spoken to has been entirely apathetic," said Tati Bruening, a TikTok creator with 2.4 million followers. "The pacing of content creation for TikTok was a recipe for burnout."

Building a strategy for doomsday

Even as the creator economy braces for the loss of its favorite corner of the internet, this moment is a lesson for many.

"Stop building brands on social media that other people own," Jennifer Powell, a talent manager who works with creators like Tezza and Ty French, told BI. "This can and will happen again. Start your website, get newsletters going, blogs, use affiliates, turn it into a brand, and own your own little place on the web."

A TikTok ban could also be a gold rush for social media startups as they race to fill the void.

"There's never been a better time to start a creation or curation company," said Em Herrera, a former investor at Slow Ventures who recently founded a firm called Creator Venture Accelerator.

• TikTok faces a likely US shutdown after the Supreme Court rejected its appeal.
• Brands and marketers are preparing contingency plans to shift content from TikTok.
• Managers shared their plans, including new clauses in their campaign contracts.

Creators are finalizing their post-TikTok plans.

TikTok is hurtling toward a US shutdown after the Supreme Court rejected its appeal of a divest-or-ban law. The app may "go dark" entirely on Sunday.

Ahead of a likely ban, TikTok influencers and their teams are offering contingency plans to assure brands and marketers that sponsored posts can move elsewhere if TikTok abruptly closes.

"We haven't seen anybody try to kill a contract, thank goodness," said Jennifer Powell, a talent manager who works with creators like Tezza and Ty French. "The good news is that most of the brands came into this year cautious about putting all their eggs into the TikTok basket, knowing that this judgment was looming."

Songfluencer, a platform that facilitates influencer campaigns for music marketers, has a "platform uncertainty" guarantee that promises marketers that creators will automatically repost TikTok content to Instagram or YouTube shorts if TikTok goes down.

"We want to make sure clients are not scared to run campaigns on TikTok," Songfluencer's CEO Johnny Cloherty said. "All of the creators in our network must agree to this new policy during this uncertain season."

Talent-management firm CFG has also been proactive in including clauses in its contracts with brands that ensure campaigns can migrate to a creator's "next highest-engaged" platform.

Powell, similarly, said her team has offered to move content to an "equal value" social platform if a sponsored TikTok post disappears.

Some of these preparations began months ago.

Gregory Littley, a freelance creative director and content producer, has been working with brand partners and clients on campaigns that aren't so tied to TikTok since November, he said.

"The language has shifted," Littley said about campaign deliverables. "It starts to really focus on the content as opposed to where you're posting it."

"Many of our current campaigns in progress that involve TikTok are preparing contingency plans for changing deliverables to different platforms," said Barbara Jones, founder of Outshine Talent.

• The Supreme Court ruled against TikTok on its challenge against a divest-or-ban law.
• TikTok's owner, ByteDance, has until January 19 to divest from its US app or face a shutdown.
• President-elect Donald Trump may still try to rescue TikTok once in office.

The Supreme Court decided not to rescue TikTok from a divest-or-ban law.

The justices said on Friday in a unanimous decision that the law did not violate the First Amendment rights of TikTok and its creators. The law requires ByteDance to divest from TikTok in the US by January 19 or effectively stop operating in the country.

As a result, TikTok is likely to "go dark" in the US on Sunday as app stores and other business partners sever ties with the company to comply with the law.

However, the Biden administration said on Friday that it would leave it to President-elect Donald Trump to implement the law after he takes office on Monday "given the sheer fact of timing."

TikTok may also shut down the app on its own accord in the US on Sunday, The Information and Reuters reported earlier this week.

On Tuesday, the company assured US TikTok employees that they would still have jobs even if the app were banned.

The Supreme Court's decision was largely expected. Legal analysts told Business Insider last week that the court would likely rule against TikTok in deference to Congress' authority over national-security concerns.

There is no doubt that TikTok "offers a distinctive and expansive outlet for expression," the court wrote in its decision, "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."

Addressing concerns by a group of TikTok users who petitioned to save the app, the court said the law did not regulate creators' free speech but rather focused on a foreign adversary's control of the app.

The law imposes "TikTok-specific prohibitions due to a foreign adversary's control over the platform," the court wrote." It does not "target particular speech based upon its content" or "regulate speech based on its function or purpose."

TikTok did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the ruling.

TikTok's appeal arrived in the Supreme Court after it lost its legal challenge to the divest-or-ban law in the DC Circuit in December.

TikTok was a primary target of The Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, which passed in April and sought to curb the influence of social platforms with foreign-adversary owners.

Having worn out its legal options, TikTok may be banking on a different path to survival: the return of President-elect Donald Trump, who will be inaugurated on Monday. TikTok's CEO Shou Chew plans to attend the inauguration alongside other tech CEOs.

Trump pledged to try to save TikTok once in office, saying during a December 16 press conference that he had "a warm spot in my heart for TikTok." On December 27, he filed an amicus brief to the Supreme Court, asking for a stay on TikTok's divestment deadline so he could work out a political resolution.

"President Trump opposes banning TikTok in the United States at this juncture, and seeks the ability to resolve the issues at hand through political means once he takes office," the brief said.

Trump wrote on Truth Social before the court ruling on Friday that he had recently spoken with China's leader, Xi Jinping, about several topics, including TikTok.

"My decision on TikTok will be made in the not too distant future, but I must have time to review the situation," he wrote in a post after the court ruling.

If TikTok shuts down, the effects could be felt across several industries, including the creator economy, e-commerce, book publishing, and more.

Some sellers on TikTok Shop, the app's e-commerce arm, previously told BI that a TikTok shutdown could be a major blow to their businesses and the broader live shopping market.

TikTok may not be the only app under threat either.

ByteDance owns several other apps, such as the video-editing tool CapCut and Pinterest-like app Lemon8, that are also subject to the divest-or-ban law.

• TikTok CEO Shou Chew is planning to attend President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration.
• TikTok may go dark in the US the day before the inauguration, as dictated by a divest-or-ban law.
• Trump asked the Supreme Court to give TikTok more time as he seeks a political resolution.

TikTok CEO Shou Chew is planning to attend President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration on Monday, a source familiar with the matter confirmed to Business Insider.

Chew has been invited to sit on the dais alongside other important figures, including Mark Zuckerberg and Jeff Bezos, the source said.

The New York Times first reported on plans for Chew to attend.

TikTok did not respond to a request for comment from BI.

An appearance by Chew is notable, considering that a divest-or-ban law is pushing TikTok to go dark in the US on Sunday, a day before Trump's inauguration.

TikTok challenged the law in the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in December but lost its case. It appealed to the Supreme Court for an emergency injunction to stop enforcement and awaits a decision.

Trump pushed for a TikTok ban in 2020, when he was last in office, but now he says he wants to save the app.

On December 27, Trump filed an amicus brief with the Supreme Court, asking it to pause the enforcement of TikTok's divestment deadline to give him time to find a political resolution. Trump met with Chew at Mar-a-Lago on December 16.

"You know, I have a warm spot in my heart for TikTok," Trump said at a press conference that day.

• A Chinese social app called RedNote has risen to the top of the Apple app store.
• TikTokers are flocking to RedNote as they brace for a possible shutdown due to a divest-or-ban law.
• Rep. John Moolenaar, chair of the House committee on the CCP, said RedNote may be the next divestment target.

A Chinese social app called Xiaohongshu is surging in the US this week. But the good times may not last, as it could become a target of the same divest-or-ban law that's plaguing TikTok, according to the chair of a US House committee focused on competition with China.

RedNote jumped to the top of Apple's app store rankings this week. Some have tied its rise to a looming TikTok shutdown, as TikTok "refugees" try out other social apps.

Like TikTok, Xiaohongshu, commonly called RedNote in the US, is owned by a company in China, a country the US government has deemed a foreign adversary. An April law requires social apps with foreign-adversary owners to divest from their US assets or effectively shut down.

Rep. John Moolenaar, chairman of the House select committee on the strategic competition between the US and the Chinese Communist Party, told Business Insider when asked if the app is subject to the same divest-or-ban law as TikTok, that the decision would be up to President-elect Donald Trump.

"Chairman Mao's Little Red Book was instrumental in China's communist cultural revolution," Moolenaar said as part of a statement. "Today, a Chinese app of the same name wants to be the next TikTok — complete with Chinese control."

Xiaohongshu translates to "little red book."

"The good news is that President Trump has the authority under the TikTok bill to force divestment of other CCP-controlled applications that pose national security risks as well," Moolenaar added.

Xiaohongshu did not respond to a request for comment.

TikTok has previously said that it does not share information with the Chinese government and that its content-moderation efforts are run by a US-based team that "operates independently from China."

Trump has pledged to try to save TikTok from a ban. He hasn't said whether he'd take action on other apps with Chinese owners.

Xiaohongshu functions similarly to Instagram and TikTok, with commerce tools. The platform began in China but has since expanded into other parts of the world with around 300 million monthly users, per Bloomberg.

• TikTok told its US employees that they'd still have jobs if the app goes dark.
• The company reassured staffers that the leadership team is planning for various scenarios.
• The Supreme Court is currently reviewing TikTok's request for more time on its divestment deadline.

TikTok reassured its US staffers on Tuesday that they'd still have jobs even if the app goes dark in a few days, as mandated by a divest-or-ban law.

In an internal memo shared with employees, the company confirmed to its US team that their "employment, pay, and benefits are secure, and our offices will remain open, even if this situation hasn't been resolved before the January 19 deadline." The company added that TikTok is a global platform and that only the US user experience would be impacted.

The Verge's Alex Heath first reported on the memo, which Business Insider independently verified. TikTok did not respond to a request for comment.

The memo acknowledged that this moment of uncertainty has been unsettling for the company and said TikTok's leadership team is planning for various scenarios as it charts its next steps.

TikTok employees who have spoken with BI have said they've often felt kept in the dark in recent weeks as they await a decision from the Supreme Court on a law that requires owner ByteDance to divest from the US version of TikTok or see it shut down. The company lost its legal challenge in the DC Circuit, and legal analysts told BI it's unlikely the Supreme Court will reverse that decision.

If TikTok does stop operating later this month, there's still a possibility that President-elect Donald Trump may try to rescue the app once in office, as he pledged to do on the campaign trail.

• TikTok may soon go dark in the US due to a divest-or-ban law.
• Merchants that rely on its e-commerce tool, Shop, are scrambling to come up with contingency plans.
• Some are halting warehouse shipments and testing out other apps like Flip and Instagram Live.

The clock is ticking on a potential TikTok ban in the US, and panic is beginning to set in for the platform's sellers and their e-commerce partners.

TikTok Shop, the app's shopping product, has been flourishing in the US. Last year, merchants pulled in millions in sales a month on the platform, including $100 million on Black Friday alone.

But that could all go away in a few days. Without court or presidential intervention, TikTok said it would "go dark" after January 19 to comply with a divest-or-ban law. The company has asked the Supreme Court to push back that deadline. Legal analysts say the odds aren't in TikTok's favor.

Some e-commerce players are already backing off from the app.

A TikTok Shop agency partner executive told Business Insider that a lot of merchants have paused their TikTok Shop plans while they wait to see what happens at the Supreme Court. Some have halted sending free samples to TikTok creators, while others are holding off on shipping products to US warehouses amid the uncertainty. The executive requested anonymity to protect business relationships. Some merchants are even asking for carveouts in contracts with the firm to account for the possibility that TikTok could go dark, the executive said.

Two agency sources told BI that the TikTok Shop team has not communicated anything to them about a possible US app shutdown, acting as if things are business as usual.

A TikTok spokesperson did not provide comment by the time of publication.

Other sellers are testing out alternative social-commerce platforms, such as Flip, Instagram Live, Amazon Live, and YouTube Shopping. And some US merchants are exploring selling goods in other countries where TikTok Shop operates.

Jake Bjorseth, founder of the TikTok Shop partner agency Trndsttrs, described the flurry of TikTok ban planning as "doomsday prep."

"Fortunately, we've slotted much of this in advance, but it's still quite unclear where brands and creators reliant on TikTok are going to flow," Bjorseth said. "It'll certainly be a turbulent few months for folks reliant on it."

Nicole Rechtszaid, co-CEO of the e-commerce agency Ghost Agency, said the company has similarly stopped new business operations related to TikTok Shop and general TikTok content production in preparation for a possible TikTok shutdown. The company's revenue is heavily tied to the app, and if TikTok leaves the US, Ghost may need to consider alternative paths like merging with another company, she said.

"For our existing clients, we've aimed to shift them to alternative platforms, like Instagram Live," Rechtszaid said. "However, it is challenging to replicate TikTok Shop's success on platforms that do not have the combination of an engaging algorithm and native shopping features."

While some Shop businesses are deep into contingency planning, others hope to extract what they can from the platform while it's still around.

"We are continuing on as business as usual until we are told to stop," Lindzi Shanks, the cofounder of the gourmet marshmallow seller XO Marshmallow, told BI. "We also never put our eggs in one basket, so to speak. We have always diversified our social platforms and marketing efforts and continue to do so."

'It's going to put the industry back a few years'

Even as merchants and sellers hedge their bets by testing out alternative platforms, replacing TikTok Shop in the US is going to be tough.

Other apps excel in certain aspects of social commerce. Live shopping app Whatnot said it drove over $3 billion in sales last year, for example. But only TikTok offers an all-in-one place for sellers to run their social-commerce businesses, including a dedicated app store, affiliate marketing tech, and order fulfillment services.

"If it does get banned, it's going to be very bad for live shopping," the first TikTok Shop agency exec said. "It's going to put the industry back a few years."

Michael Herling, a Shop merchant who sells hats on TikTok under the brand Herling Handcrafted, said most of his business comes from TikTok sales and referrals. If TikTok does end up getting banned, he's planning to use Instagram and Facebook to advertise his business.

"It's a real bummer. I built my business on TikTok," Herling said. "I've been pretty depressed about it, knowing that if it gets banned it essentially shuts my business down."

• Americans are rushing to download two Chinese social apps, days before a possible TikTok ban.
• Xiaohongshu and Lemon8 rose to the top spots on the Apple app store rankings on Monday.
• Both platforms could be subject to the same divest-or-ban law that's imperiling TikTok.

TikTok users are lamenting that the app could "go dark" in less than a week in the US due to a divest-or-ban law. At the same time, two other apps with Chinese owners have risen to the top of the Apple app store in the US.

On Monday, Xiaohongshu, also known as RedNote, and Lemon8, an app with the same owner as TikTok, hit the top two spots on the Apple app store rankings.

Xiaohongshu functions similarly to Instagram, but with more commerce features, while Lemon8 has been described by creators as a Pinterest-like platform.

The rush to download these apps is a bit of a head-scratcher, as they could be subject to the same divestment requirements as TikTok if the US government chooses to target them. The Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act applies to social platforms owned by countries that the US government views as foreign adversaries. TikTok became a political target because its owner, ByteDance, is based in China, which the US government has labeled a foreign adversary and Congress views as a national-security risk.

TikTok is clearly subject to the divest-or-ban law, as it's named in the bill's text. But ByteDance is also named, which raises the question of why its other app, Lemon8, is suddenly surging in popularity.

Christopher Krepich, the communications director for the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, previously told Forbes the bill would ban Lemon8 unless ByteDance divested. A spokesperson for the committee did not immediately respond to Business Insider on whether it would apply to Xiaohongshu.

The law was written broadly and could be enforced on any company owned by a foreign adversary that permits a user to "create an account or profile to generate, share, and view text, images, videos, real-time communications, or similar content." That could include Xiaohongshu if the US government chose to target the app.

The law does have some exceptions, including apps where users "post product reviews, business reviews, or travel information and reviews." That suggests Chinese e-commerce platforms Shein and Temu would not be targeted.

ByteDance, Xiaohongshu, Apple, and Google did not respond to requests for comment.

Why users are flocking to these two apps

It's tough to say exactly what's driving mass interest in Xiaohongshu and Lemon8. Some users may be flocking to the apps to find a replacement for TikTok, while others may simply like their product features. In December, Xiaohongshu had around 300 million monthly active users globally, Bloomberg reported.

Another possibility for the downloads surge is that TikTok users are choosing the Chinese apps as a tongue-in-cheek protest of the divest-or-ban law.

"It really is just retaliation towards the government in the simplest way, but in a way that feels very native to Gen Z," said Meagan Loyst, founder of the investor collective Gen Z VCs.

If millennials pioneered "slacktivism" with online petitions, Gen Z seems to be trying something new. You might call it "trolltivism."

"This is not the first time that trolling on a large scale has happened," Loyst said, citing the 2020 incident when TikTok users purchased tickets to Trump rallies. "It's trolling the US government."

• 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.

• 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 an amicus brief asking the Supreme Court to pause the deadline for a TikTok divestment so he could try to negotiate a political resolution once in office.

• Whatnot closed a fresh $265 million Series E round at a roughly $5 billion valuation.
• CEO Grant LaFontaine plans to use the funds to add new features for sellers and enter new countries.
• Whatnot is betting that live shopping will eventually be commonplace in the US and other markets.

Investors are betting big that live shopping is here to stay.

Livestream app Whatnot announced on Wednesday that it closed a $265 million Series E funding round, bringing its valuation to around $5 billion.

The round was co-led by Greycroft, DST Global, and Avra Capital, with participation from Lightspeed Venture Partners, Durable Capital Partners, and Andreessen Horowitz, among others.

Whatnot hosts livestreams across categories including fashion, collectibles like sports cards and sneakers, and niche items like vinyl records and "storage unit finds." It makes money by taking a cut of the sales on its platform, which operates in North America and Europe.

Launched in 2019, Whatnot was an early entrant in the US in the live shopping category. Live selling drives hundreds of billions in annual sales in Asia but has been slower to gain adoption in other markets. The category has recently picked up steam in the US, driven in part by the popularity of TikTok Shop, which helped consumers get accustomed to buying from social media and livestreams.

"As consumers get used to purchasing in that format, as sellers start to build better businesses around it and then unlock really good inventory around it, adoption is just going to continue to increase," Whatnot CEO Grant LaFontaine told Business Insider.

Whatnot said it crossed $3 billion in livestream sales last year, roughly double what it pulled in for 2023.

In 2025, Whatnot also stands to benefit if TikTok, one of its biggest competitors, is banned in the US as mandated by a divestment law.

Whatnot's expansion plans in 2025

Whatnot plans to use its new quarter-of-a-billion dollars in funding for marketing, product, and engineering, as well as to support its expansion into new markets like Australia, LaFontaine said.

On the product side, the company wants to improve its merchant tools, including analytics and inventory management, and introduce new selling formats that could make livestreams more effective, he said. It's also investing in improving customer support. It plans to launch more product categories and double down on goods that performed well last year, such as golf items, as well.

Heading into 2025, LaFontaine said he expects the live-shopping phenomenon to lead to the creation of a new class of e-commerce content creators, a trend TikTok has also been driving.

"Just because you're entertaining on YouTube doesn't mean you have all the skills to be good at Whatnot," he said. "Live and social commerce will tend to create a new wave of its own influencers."

Whatnot said it's raised about $746 million in funding since its 2019 launch.

• 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% — 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.

• 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.

• Content creators have filed two lawsuits against PayPal over its Honey browser extension.
• The creators allege Honey took some of their potential affiliate earnings by improperly claiming credit on sales.
• Honey disputes the allegations in the lawsuits and said it would defend against them vigorously.

Influencers are suing financial giant PayPal in two class-action lawsuits filed this week. The content creators separately alleged that the company's browser extension Honey, which searches for coupons around the web, took affiliate commissions away from them by improperly claiming credit for driving sales.

A spokesperson for Honey said the company disputes the allegations in the lawsuits and would defend against them vigorously.

The lawsuits ask the US District Court in Northern California to consider what's fair play in the cutthroat world of affiliate marketing. It's a major business that drove about 20% of US e-commerce revenue on Cyber Monday, according to Adobe Analytics.

Affiliate marketing is a practice in which YouTubers and other content creators earn a commission if they inspire a purchase. Honey similarly earns money through affiliate commissions, getting paid if a user clicks on its browser extension to search for a coupon or deal before buying.

The referrer who actually gets paid the commission — and it's generally only one — is determined by a mix of links, browser cookies, and other tags that indicate the final source of referral, a practice known as last-click attribution. In short, the last click wins.

"Honey follows industry rules and practices, including last-click attribution, which is widely used across major brands," the Honey spokesperson said.

In the lawsuits, the plaintiffs allege that Honey would take credit for driving online sales it didn't actually help with. The suits say that even if Honey couldn't find a coupon, it would get the last click, sometimes taking it away from a content creator who had linked to a product.

"In its simplest form, Honey is not providing benefits that they say they're providing, and they are basically saying to online retailers that they were responsible for a referral for a sale when they are not," Devin Stone, a counsel for one of the plaintiffs who also runs the YouTube channel LegalEagle, told Business Insider.

The Honey spokesperson said the extension helps "millions of shoppers with additional savings on their purchases whenever possible" while helping merchants "reduce cart abandonment and comparison shopping."

Honey's last clicks may be tough to challenge in court

The plaintiffs are seeking damages as well as injunctive relief, a measure that would require Honey to change its affiliate practices. If the lawsuits are certified as class action, other creators who believe their affiliate businesses were harmed by Honey could also sign on to the suits.

But it may be tough for creators to prove that Honey is doing anything unlawful by taking credit for driving sales, said Robert Freund, an advertising and e-commerce lawyer. PayPal could argue that Honey is driving final sales even in instances when it fails to offer a discount coupon. And because it's a browser extension, it's often going to be the last click a user makes before purchasing.

"The difficulty there for the plaintiffs is you're essentially trying to make the system of last-click attribution for affiliates unlawful," Freund told BI. "I can understand why a creator affiliate would think that it's unfair, but I don't know that it's illegal."

"I don't think it's a frivolous case by any means, but there's certainly some challenges ahead for the plaintiffs," he added.

Honey has leaned on creators for its own marketing efforts

Even if Honey prevails in getting the lawsuits dismissed, it may have to adjust its practices in order to make peace with the creator community. The company works with a lot of influencers to advertise its product and could lose a large chunk of that marketing channel if creators believe it's damaging their affiliate businesses.

Honey has been under fire in the creator community since December 21, when YouTuber MegaLag posted a video that criticized the company's affiliate marketing practices.

Since then, other prominent creators like Marques Brownlee and Hank Green have spoken out against the extension.

• TikTok made e-commerce a priority, even when it angered some users. It paid off.
• It's made big bets on influencer affiliates, live selling, and other in-app features.
• Its popularity with young shoppers signals where e-commerce is heading next.

When TikTok first introduced shopping videos in the US, many users were skeptical.

People don't want to buy stuff on TikTok, they want to watch funny videos, some said. And who wants to hand over their credit card details to an app that Congress says is a national security risk?

TikTok's response to the haters: Add more e-commerce features. As competitors pulled back on shopping, TikTok leaned in. And it's paid off.

TikTok Shop had driven around $1 billion in monthly sales in the US since July, The Information reported in October. It grossed $100 million in single-day sales on Black Friday alone, triple its 2023 haul.

"We've now been on TikTok Shop since the very beginning, and we've seen successes gradually and consistently increase month over month," Max Benator, CEO of the TikTok Shop partner agency Orca, told Business Insider. "The numbers are serious."

Read: How TikTok Shop popularized social shopping in the US

TikTok first began dipping its toes into US e-commerce as early as 2020 when it added a tool for creators to add shopping buttons to videos that linked to Shopify and merchandise storefronts. It later released a full e-commerce product, Shop, to a select group of US beta testers in November 2022 after experimenting in other markets like the UK.

From there, it quickly built up a large team of US-based TikTok Shop staffers to handle everything from marketplace quality to merchant onboarding. It enlisted hundreds of third-party vendors to teach brands and creators how to sell products on social media. It launched its own logistics and fulfillment operation, as well as an e-commerce app store. More recently, it's beginning to connect creators with manufacturers to make their own products.

Unlike some competitors that focus on specific areas of the e-commerce business like live shopping or affiliate marketing, TikTok offers all pieces of social commerce in one place. It's trying to be Amazon, Shopify, and, well, TikTok at the same time. And it's working.

By some measures like repeat purchases, TikTok Shop is already beating out competitors like Walmart, and creeping up on Amazon. It's shown particular strength among young shoppers, which could pose a risk for Amazon and other big retailers down the road.

TikTok Shop has worked through some of its early hiccups, such as technical issues with its marketplace quality enforcement. But it still has some real obstacles it needs to overcome. The platform's greatest strength — its ability to make products go viral through influencer content — also creates unpredictability for sellers who face sudden spikes or drops in TikTok Shop sales.

"Just because a product goes viral doesn't mean the whole brand goes viral," Julian Reis, CEO of the e-commerce firm and TikTok Shop partner SuperOrdinary, told BI in July. "What we see is that that product will go viral and it could potentially sell millions of dollars and the rest of the brand is left behind."

Read: TikTok is hell-bent on growing Shop, but its viral spurts could be hiding a key weakness

TikTok Shop could also have the rug pulled out from under it if the app ends up getting banned in January, as mandated by a law passed by Congress.

And the platform remains a tiny piece of the overall US e-commerce business. While it pulled in $100 million in sales on Black Friday, that was a small fraction of the $10.8 billion total US online sales that day, per Adobe Analytics.

Amazon is probably not quivering in its boots when it sees TikTok's current sales. But it's also not ignoring TikTok's rapid rise and potential future growth, which signal where consumer habits are heading next. Amazon has responded by adding its own TikTok-like feed, and investing in influencers and live shopping, for example.

Business Insider has been tracking TikTok's e-commerce efforts.

Here's a breakdown of our recent coverage:

Influencers and TikTok Shop:

• TikTok is connecting creators with manufacturers to make their own products
• TikTok has a dedicated team focused on Shop "stars"

Merchants and TikTok Shop:

• At TikTok's first big e-commerce summit, it doubled down on live shopping and learnings from China
• TikTok Shop sellers are overwhelmed by violation points

Live shopping:

• How startup Outlandish is bringing TikTok Shop into the real world

Fulfillment, logistics, and e-commerce tech:

• Nico Le Bourgeois, head of US operations for TikTok Shop, explains its US growth strategy
• TikTok's hiring plans reveal how it wants to use AI to bolster its shopping experience

Holiday shopping:

• TikTok Shop hit $100 million in sales on its second Black Friday

• It was a busy year for M&A in the creator economy.
• Startups in influencer marketing, talent management, and podcasting became acquisition targets.
• Companies also sought to expand globally by acquiring creator startups in new regions.

Dozens of merger and acquisition deals were signed between companies across the creator economy in 2024.

Two M&A experts told Business Insider that one of the most impactful sales was Publicis Groupe's purchase of Influential for $500 million, signaling that one of the world's largest ad holding companies viewed influencer marketing as a must-have offering.

"If influencers are the new gatekeepers and authority within these digital channels, then they're going to command audiences," Chris Erwin, the founder of the M&A advisory firm RockWater, told BI. "Advertising revenue dollars are going to flow towards them."

Goldman Sachs analysts highlighted influencer-marketing spending as a primary driver of growth in the creator economy when they valued the industry at $250 billion last year.

A few other clear trends emerged this year around deals. Outside influencer marketing, popular acquisition targets included talent-management firms and podcasting tech. Non-US firms also pushed to build out creator businesses globally through purchases.

BI combed through data from PitchBook and Crunchbase and connected with M&A insiders to understand some of the key deals in 2024. Here are four takeaways:

1. Influencer marketing was a big focus among acquirers in 2024. The category has a proven business model compared with some of the more experimental parts of the industry. Beyond Publicis' deal with Influential, other large advertising brands brought in influencer expertise through acquisitions.

A few noteworthy deals in this category:

• The marketing firm Stagwell announced in July that it had acquired the influencer-marketing agency Leaders.
• The Canadian talent agency Dulcedo Group acquired the influencer-marketing app Node in July.

2. The creator economy is maturing globally. Several companies made strategic deals across markets like India, Japan, and Australia. Publicis highlighted Influential's global reach in its announcement about the deal.
   
   "Creators really can be global from day one," said Ollie Forsyth, a former senior manager at the investment firm Antler who now writes the newsletter New Economies. He pointed to technologies like AI-powered audio-dubbing and video-editing tools as helping creators distribute content to a global audience.

A few noteworthy deals in this category:

• The French influencer firm Ykone announced in March that it had acquired a majority stake in the Indian influencer-marketing firm Barcode to build a business in the Indian influencer market.
• The Finnish influencer firm Boksi announced in February that it had acquired the German influencer-marketing company The Influencer GmbH to grow its business in Central Europe.

3. Podcasting is a hot category. As platforms like YouTube and Spotify drive listenership (and viewership) of longer content, advertisers are paying close attention. EMARKETER expects US ad spend for podcasts to hit $2.28 billion this year, a roughly 16% increase from 2023. Meanwhile, M&A deals in the category focused on podcasting tech and IP in 2024.
   
   "It's a publisher play of rolling up these popular networks of shows," said James Creech, an M&A advisor through Quartermast Advisors who founded Creator Economy Jobs. "I think that'll continue because you're likely to see a handful of winners in this space."

A few noteworthy deals in this category:

• Triton Digital said in March that it had acquired the podcasting-adtech firm Sounder to boost its targeting and brand-safety tech.
• Night announced in April that it had acquired The Roost, a podcast network that includes shows from Theo Von and other popular creators.

4. Creator-focused talent firms are continuing to consolidate. There's no shortage of talent managers and agencies looking to represent creators. But a smaller number are prepared to support the businesses of top creators who aim to book deals, exclusive podcast agreements, and Hollywood roles.

A few noteworthy deals in this category:

• The talent-management firm Wasserman announced in September that it had acquired the talent-management agency Long Haul to grow its gaming and sports creator business.
• The influencer-marketing and creator talent company Whalar announced in October it had acquired the influencer-management firm Sixteenth.

Looking ahead to 2025

Erwin and Creech are expecting the next year to be fruitful for creator-economy companies.

"We're going to see more activity next year," Creech said.

The two M&A advisors are watching closely whether consumer-packaged-goods companies will continue to shop for creator-owned businesses, such as Hershey's purchase of Maxx Chewning's Sour Strips brand in 2024.

Companies that raised new funding in 2024 may also signal where M&A activity is heading next in the industry. Creator startups with offerings in artificial intelligence, newsletter tech, influencer marketing, and e-commerce drew in investor dollars in the past year. Among the big rounds were the creator-marketing platform Agentio, the newsletter app Beehiiv, the social shopping app Flip, and the AI firm ElevenLabs. Startups flush with funding could become acquirers in 2025.

"If you are looking to sell or to raise capital now, it's a good time to do it," Erwin said.

• TikTok could be banned come January, but what are the other fascinating creator-economy stories?
• BI's media team rounded up the most intriguing stories for the year ahead.
• Our picks ranged from a battle between Spotify and YouTube to what will happen in "IRL social."

There are many fascinating stories popping up in the creator economy every day. So, which ones have really caught the eye of Business Insider's team of reporters and editors?

We're all closely tracking whether TikTok will be banned in the US in January. But that's not the only story that could shake up the industry.

As we head into 2025, BI's media team rounded up the creator-economy storylines we are most excited to dig into next year.

Dan's storyline to watch: Influencers look to become QVC-style live shopping hosts

Live shopping has really begun to catch on in the US. Next year, I'm watching to see if top influencers embrace live selling and become QVC-style hosts — or if its momentum fades.

US creators have always hawked goods on behalf of brands, but live selling hasn't been a popular approach. It makes sense, as it's much easier for a creator to make a quick sponsored post than to film a 2-hour live sellathon.

TikTok Shop sought to popularize live selling in the US by working with outside partners to train live-selling creators and aggressively promoting the practice. I expect that will continue next year (if TikTok isn't banned), alongside efforts to drive up livestreams among e-commerce competitors like Amazon, Whatnot, and TalkShopLive.

But will creators whose content has nothing to do with e-commerce choose to try out live selling in 2025? Will live shopping replace static brand deals as the predominant way US creators make money, as it has in other regions like Asia? We'll be watching.

-Dan Whateley, senior reporter

Amanda's storyline to watch: Spotify and YouTube battle over video podcasting

Creators are launching their own talk shows in the form of video podcasts.

As this growing trend of serialized long-form content takes over screen times, two tech giants — Spotify and YouTube — will continue to compete to be the best platform.

YouTube is already a strong leader in the creator economy and a go-to creator platform. Spotify has also had a good year, reporting increased profitability in its Q3 earnings.

As video podcasts rise in popularity, these two platforms will have to convince both creators and viewers why they're the best place to earn money, engage with fans, and reach new audiences.

The race has already begun. YouTube took a stand by releasing a suite of tools and features that creators can't get on other podcast platforms — including the ability to go live, respond to comments, and earn revenue from donations.

Meanwhile, Spotify invested heavily in video in 2024, developing its own tools and more ways to pay creators for video podcasts through subscription earnings and ad revenue.

So, how will these platforms compete in 2025, and who will ultimately win in the video podcast race?

-Amanda Perelli, senior reporter

Sydney's storyline to watch: The future of IRL social apps

Social-media platforms are great for entertainment ... but for making new friends and maintaining IRL relationships? Less so.

However, a wave of startups that have either launched or expanded in 2024 plans to fill that gap. From in-person dinners offered by apps (like 222 or Timeleft) to event platforms (like Partiful or Posh), some startup founders are finding product-market-fit amid a loneliness epidemic. The trend extends beyond mobile apps, too, with in-person clubs or groups growing in popularity, like reading groups or running clubs.

While some of these startups are already raising capital and dabbling with monetization, will these solutions to loneliness stick around in 2024? And if they do stick, who will be category winners and what will success be defined by?

-Sydney Bradley, senior reporter

Nathan's storyline to watch: Creators on TV

The walls between the TV and the creator worlds are being torn down brick by brick, particularly by YouTube.

In November, as it has been for a while, YouTube was the top streaming service on TVs in the US, coming in at 10.8% of viewing compared to Netflix's 7.7%, per Nielsen.

With the lines blurring, will we see more streamers and even traditional TV networks look to creator-style content, as ESPN has done with Pat McAfee?

Creator TV shows have had a muddled history, but I'd argue that their struggles often came from networks trying to parachute an influencer into a traditional "TV" format. What about meeting them halfway?

On that point, it's been interesting to see the convergence of podcasts and video. YouTube (hello again) is the top podcasting platform in the US, ahead of Spotify (which is also looking to beef up video) and Apple Podcasts.

What's stopping the likes of Netflix, or even CNN, from licensing podcasts as long as they get the video quality up to snuff? CNN+ wanted to give Scott Galloway a show once upon a time. Maybe they should just put one of his hit podcasts on the air. The cable TV business is in freefall. It's time to get creative.

-Nathan McAlone, deputy editor

• In less than a month, TikTok could be pulled from US app stores due to a federal divest-or-ban law.
• Merchants who sell on TikTok Shop may struggle to find an alternative if the ban goes through.
• TikTok Shop offers a unique blend of social tools, e-commerce tech, and a large audience.

If TikTok is pulled from US app stores in January due to a divest-or-ban law, many of its creators will be fine. However, its e-commerce sellers may have a rougher road ahead.

Many TikTok creators have spent years building up audiences on similar apps using features like YouTube shorts and Instagram reels. For some merchants who sell goods on TikTok Shop, there isn't an obvious alternative.

"With TikTok, we've had the first real foray into building an ecosystem that ties in entertainment and live shopping together; a full-service ecosystem that brings in the creators, the affiliates, the products, and the brands altogether," Julian Reis, CEO of the social-commerce agency SuperOrdinary, told Business Insider. "Previously we had a lot of smaller platforms and smaller surface layer applications that were enabling live shopping on other people's platforms."

Other platforms, like the live-shopping app Whatnot or affiliate-marketing platform LTK, offer robust tools for social commerce. Flip built an app that's basically a shopping-only version of TikTok. Shopify offers a variety of tools for merchants to integrate into social apps, and Meta made a deal with Amazon in 2023 to make Instagram and Facebook posts more shoppable.

But none of these products offers the same breadth of services in one place as TikTok. TikTok Shop even has its own app store, bringing it closer to super-app status.

TikTok invested heavily in social-shopping tech before it was obvious the move would pay off in the US. TikTok's push into e-commerce initially angered many users, but the company continued to lean into the initiative as it sought to train its audience to buy in a social feed. It also built out infrastructure, such as adding six warehouses in the US to support order fulfillment and logistics, its head of US operations Nico Le Bourgeois told BI in October. That level of investment and boldness is tough to replicate.

"We are on every platform, but TikTok is the primary platform because they're by far the most advanced social commerce marketplace that we have in the US today," Max Benator, the CEO of the social-shopping firm Orca, told BI.

TikTok has shown a unique commitment to making social commerce grow in the US. While some of its peers have pulled back on shopping features, TikTok has charged forward. Its drive to make social shopping take off was likely influenced by the success of its Chinese sister app Douyin, which drives billions in annual sales. The effort appears to have turned a corner, and TikTok is now pulling in billions in sales, including over $100 million on Black Friday alone.

Right now, TikTok is central to the social-shopping marketplace in the US. But if the app is banned next month — an outcome it's challenging before the Supreme Court — a competitor app like Instagram or YouTube might try to replicate some of its efforts to fill the void.

"Once the consumer habit is to buy through livestreams, it really doesn't matter what platform they use," William August, CEO of Outlandish, a company that works with TikTok Shop brands and others on livestream selling, told BI in November. "If TikTok does get banned, I don't think these people are just going to stop shopping through livestreams. I think they're going to move to another platform."