Instagram head Adam Mosseri announced the launch of Edits, a CapCut rival.
David M. Benett via Getty Images
Instagram announced a new video-editing app called Edits as TikTok and CapCut face US restrictions.
Instagram head Adam Mosseri announced the tool, which will be released on March 13, on Sunday.
Edits will offer video editing tools and analytics, Mosseri said.
Instagram announced a new video-editing app called "Edits" on Sunday, a day after rival ByteDance apps TikTok and CapCutwent dark in the US.
The app is slated to be released on March 13, Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, announced in a video posted on the platform. Meta owns Instagram.
Mosseri said the app will include a higher-quality camera, video editing tools, a feature to share drafts with others, and Instagram analytics on how those videos perform. The app can be used to make videos for platforms besides Instagram as well, he said.
"There's a lot going on right now, but no matter what happens, it's our job to provide the best possible tools for creators," Mosseri said.
The Edits app will be released on March 13, according to its page on the iOS App store.
Screenshot of iOS App Store
Meta also ran sponsored ads for Instagram on the iOS App Store for a few hours on Sunday, in another sign the tech giant is capitalizing on the lack of clarity regarding TikTok's future. Users who typed "TikTok" saw an ad for Instagram, Bloomberg reported. The ads had stopped appearing as of late Sunday evening.
Meta did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider about the sponsored App Store ads. In addition to Instagram, Meta owns Facebook, Threads, and WhatsApp.
Edits is available for preorder on the iOS App Store, but it won't be available to download until next month, Mosseri said.
The app stands to compete with existing video-editing platforms such as Adobe's Premiere Rush and ByteDance's CapCut, the latter of which is blocked and no longer available in US app stores. TikTok has restored its services in the US but is no longer available in app stores.
Last year, a bill to banΒ TikTok received bipartisan supportΒ in the House and Senate due to national security concerns with ByteDance's Chinese ownership. Biden signed the TikTok ban bill into law in April 2024.
The company spent months challenging the law that required it to be divested or banned from the US before January 19. On Friday, the Supreme Court ruled to uphold the ban.
In a Truth Social post on Sunday, President-elect Donald Trump said he plans to issue an executive order following his inauguration on Monday to extend the time before the TikTok ban is enforced. He did not mention if other ByteDance apps, such as CapCut and Lemon8, will return under this executive order.
"And this is no time for celebration, with inflation, conflicts around the world, economic uncertainty and a political wait-and-see attitude in some of Champagne's biggest markets, such as France and the United States of America," Toubart added.
Sparkling wine sales spiked significantly in 2021 following the relaxation of pandemic restrictions, particularly in the US. But it was a short-lived high.
According to LVMH's 2024 first-half earnings report, the company's revenue from Champagne and wines declined 12% in the first half of 2024 compared to the year before.
"Champagne is quite linked with celebration, happiness, et cetera," LVMH's finance chief, Jean-Jacques Guiony, said in the earnings call in July. "Maybe the current global situation, be it geopolitical or macroeconomic, does not lead people to cheer up and to open bottles of Champagne. I don't really know."
Champagne is not the only luxury product facing a reckoning. In 2024, overall luxury spending stagnated, with big brands seeing their share prices drop.
Kering, the owner of Gucci, YSL, and Balenciaga, saw its stock fall more than 40% last year.
LVMH's sales declined by 3% in the third quarter of 2024, partly because of weakened consumer confidence in China.
The industry was also hit hard by "aspirational" luxury shoppers β those who spent big bucks on luxury immediately after the pandemic β reining in on their spending.
"The Video Tab has arrived. LFG," X CEO Linda Yaccarino said in a post on the platform on Sunday.
Sheldon Cooper/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
Elon Musk's X is introducing a dedicated video tab for users in the US.
The new feature comes amid the turmoil surrounding the ban on rival platform TikTok.
TikTok briefly ceased its US operations on Saturday night before resuming on Sunday.
X, formerly Twitter, debuted a new feature for its US users on Sunday β a tab dedicated to watching videos on the platform.
"The Video Tab has arrived. LFG," X CEO Linda Yaccarino wrote in a post on the platform on Sunday night.
According to X's promotional video for the feature, the new tab is located between the dedicated Grok button and notification panel. Grok is an AI chatbot developed by X owner Elon Musk's AI startup, xAI.
an immersive new home for videos is rolling out to users in the US today
To be sure, the app has experimented with video content for years, though this tab marks an intentional shift toward displaying it more prominently. The platform first rolled out its TikTok-like "immersive media viewer" in September 2022, before Musk acquired it.
"X's updated immersive media viewer expands videos to full screen with a single click, allowing you to easily access the full, immersive viewing experience," the company wrote in a blog post at the time.
"Once the video has been launched in full screen mode, we've made video discovery easier as well. Just scroll up to start browsing more engaging video content," the blog post added.
X's new feature comes amid the turmoil surrounding the ban on TikTok.
According to a law passed by the Senate in April, TikTok had to cease its US operations on January 19 unless it divested itself from its Chinese-based owner, ByteDance. TikTok briefly went dark for US users on Saturday night, before restoring services on Sunday.
"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," TikTok said in a statement to Business Insider.
X did not respond to a request for comment from BI.
Musk's X isn't the only social media company that's making moves while TikTok navigates its regulatory hurdles.
On Sunday, Instagram head Adam Mosseri announced a new video editing app called Edits. The app is set to be released on March 13, per its listing on Apple's App Store.
The announcement comes a day just after Apple had removed CapCut, a video editing app made by ByteDance.
Mosseri said in a Threads posts on Sunday that Edits is like "CapCut, but more for creators than casual video makers."
"Not just video editing, but an inspiration tab, idea tracking, and insights built in," Mosseri wrote in his Threads post.
"It's been months and I think it'll end up pretty different than CapCut," Mosseri added.
Russian soldiers fired a 2S7M Malka self-propelled cannon in an undisclosed location in July 2024.
Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP
Ukrainian strikes have forced Russia to reduce its ammo usage, Oleksandr Syrskyi said.
The Ukrainian commander in chief said Russian shell usage has "practically halved" for months.
Ukraine has been hitting ammo depots, oil facilities, and factories deep inside Russia for months.
Ukraine's military commander in chief, Oleksandr Syrskyi, said Russia has cut down its artillery ammo usage in recent months due to Ukrainian strikes on the Kremlin's production facilities.
"For several months now, the artillery ammunition expenditure rates in the Russian army have practically halved," Syrskyi told Ukrainian broadcaster TSN in an interview released on Sunday.
"Here is a vivid example," Syrskyi added. "If previously the figure reached up to 40,000 rounds per day, it is now significantly lower."
Syrskyi attributed the reduction to Ukraine's attacks on "industrial enterprises" that manufacture ammunition, missile parts, and other weaponry on Russian soil.
His comments come as Ukraine has increasingly reported that it's been carrying out long-range strikes on Russian oil facilities, munitions factories, and ammunition depots across the border.
On Tuesday, Kyiv said it had launched its "largest attack" on Russian targets with missiles and drones, including hits on a fuel storage facility for bombers and a factory that produces rocket parts and artillery ammo.
Russia's defense ministry said that it shot down nearly 150 drones that evening, providing an indicator of the operation's scale.
Ukraine says its attacks on Russian facilities continue, with another reported strike on a gunpowder factory in the Tambov region on Thursday.
Some of its most notable strikes happened when Ukraine attacked three ammunition depots in Krasnodar and Tver in September, areas that are hundreds of miles behind the border.
The UK's defense ministry said at the time that at least one of these depots saw the loss of 30,000 tons of ammunition, saying that the trio of strikes resulted in the largest loss of Russian and North Korean ammunition up to that point in the war.
Any strain on Russia's ammo production and reserves would likely be significant for the war because analysts say it's becoming increasingly clear that the fate of the battlefield hinges on the quantity of weapons and manpower available to either side.
To meet the war's demands, Russia's defense sector has swelled to staggering levels when considering its total spending. Its defense budget grew from $59 billion in 2022 to $109 billion in 2023. The Kremlin is planning to spend about 13.5 trillion rubles, or about $131 billion now, on defense in 2025.
That's nearly a third of its entire federal budget and is up from 10.8 trillion rubles in 2024.
Russia's defense ministry did not respond to a request for comment sent outside regular business hours by Business Insider.
The author was diagnosed with sepsis during a family trip.
Courtesy of the author
Two days into a family trip, I spiked a 103 fever and didn't feel great.
At the hospital, I was diagnosed with sepsis and felt guilty for ruining my family's trip.
I learned I can't control what happens and should let go of mom guilt.
Two days into a Disney World vacation with my husband Anthony, our two daughters, and my in-laws, I became very sick. With a fever of 103, I shook with chills, ached all over, and dry-heaved repeatedly.
We'd been excited about this trip. Every day before we left, I drew a Disney-themed picture on my 8-year-old daughter's snack bag. I counted the days, with the number eight hidden in Cinderella's castle, Mickey's four-fingered glove, and a glittery two alongside Tinkerbell.
The author felt bad for leaving her family while she was at the hospital.
Courtesy of the author
And then, I was in the room feeling guilty while my family explored Magic Kingdom. I'm no stranger to illness. Born with heart disease, I've recovered from four open heart surgeries, but I rolled around the bed moaning in pain. I cried to Anthony on the phone, delirious from the fever, the lorazepam I'd taken, or both.
I didn't think anything was seriously wrong, but I called my cardiology nurse after a few days. She said I likely had a virus, but since my mechanical valve and pacemaker are breeding grounds for bacteria, we should rule out blood infection. She sent me to the emergency room for blood cultures.
Maybe I couldn't register her words through the pain; maybe Anthony was getting me a blanket at that moment because once I was in an exam room, neither of us understood why the clinicians seemed so serious. This was a virus; I was only here as a precaution.
But my pressure was 70/40, my white blood cell count was elevated, and I had an infection somewhere. The culture results would take days, but they treated my symptoms and started antibiotics. Once I could think clearly, the guilt returned.
This wasn't how I'd imagined this vacation. I was supposed to watch my daughters spin around in oversize teacups, not see the room spin around me. Instead of pulling on a hospital gown, I should've been helping my 8-year-old pull on her princess dress. I wanted to be pushing my 4-year-old in her stroller, not being pushed through the hospital on a gurney.
The culture came back positive. I was moved to an inpatient floor, and the guilt festered. I was in the hospital for about a week, but it felt like forever. I cried often β when my kids flew home without me, before every medical test, petrified the results would keep me away from them longer, and each time, my in-laws sent me a picture of their faces.
If I'd paid attention, I would've noticed those smiling faces. While I was wallowing in guilt, they were having the time of their lives.
We made our way through it together
I remained guilty when I returned home and spent four months on IV antibiotics, which ravaged my stomach and kept me curled on the couch for half that time. I was lucky to have my husband home temporarily, my mother, who moved in while I recovered, and extended family and friends willing to help. It killed me that I could hardly take care of my girls, but we found a way. We cuddled while watching TV and played games. They decorated my IV pole for my birthday.
In the end, I didn't need to feel so guilty. My kids are OK. It wasn't easy. My older daughter admitted later that she cried herself to sleep while I was in the hospital. My younger one cried so much before preschool during that time, we pulled her out. It was hard, but so is life. They got through it and learned they had parents who loved them and an entire village willing to care for them when their mother couldn't.
I learned that this ever-pressing guilt we moms carry is futile. I can't control what happens to me. Inevitably, I'll have more medical issues down the line. Maybe my kids will be better prepared to handle it. At least now I know we can get through it together. And I know not only that I love them, sometimes to a painful degree, but that they love me too, even when things are difficult and even if sometimes I ruin their good time.
As a single mother battling mental health issues, she never had the opportunity to go to college or explore her interests. But, after I flew the coop and she got help for her eating disorder, she finally chased her goals.
Like her, I also struggle with mental health issues and found it difficult to put college first.
Together, we overcame our biggest obstacles and achieved our dreams.
My addiction hindered my college journey
While I don't have children, I, too, relate to a non-traditional college journey. I'm in recovery from substance use disorder β a glorious mix of alcohol, drugs, and countless other self-destructive behaviors created a myriad of hurdles to my education for a decade.
As anyone on a recovery journey knows, substance use disorders are usually accompanied by undiagnosed mental health issues or personality disorders. We often think it's easier to self-medicate than to ask for help.
This life outlook makes "simple" tasks like finishing homework and going to class feel impossible. I took college courses on and off, binge drinking and bartending until 2 a.m.
I dropped out of school more times than I can count, finally graduating with a degree in business administration at age 28.
Motherhood and mental health issues got in the way of my mom's dreams
Mom always wanted to be a counselor because she genuinely enjoys helping others, but she couldn't prioritize education as a single mom with limited support. Mom went back to work when I was six weeks old while also juggling childcare and undiagnosed mental health issues.
A single parent living paycheck to paycheck rarely has the luxury of time to peruse college admissions pamphlets or the countless hours needed to fill out financial aid forms or write scholarship essays β not to mention how challenging life can be with mental health struggles, leaving little room for motivation to flourish.
But when she finally put herself first in her 50s and dealt with her eating disorder, she met a treatment counselor. My mom figured she was a seasoned veteran based on her age. Apparently, this woman returned to college later in life, ultimately inspiring my mother to do the same.
Mom now works in her dream career as a substance abuse counselor, while I also work in my dream career as a published author and entrepreneur in the sobriety space.
Figuring ourselves out is one day at a time, too.
Our lives have long been intertwined
My mom addressed her eating disorder at the same time I addressed my substance abuse. Going through this shared recovery journey showed us how eating disorders and substance use disorders stem from similar desires to escape reality through self-medication. Her drug of choice was food; mine was alcohol and drugs.
Mom is a strong, independent woman who inspired me to be the same way.
We bring our inclusive approach to recovery to our work, too. We understand that addiction is addiction β whether it's drugs, gambling, shopping, food, or self-harm. Life is freaking hard; many folks don't have the tools or resources to address our various coping skills.
She has some advice for anyone wanting to pursue their dreams
I asked my mom if she had any words of wisdom for someone reading this, thinking about returning to school.
"Make an appointment with an advisor and learn your options. If your advisor isn't helpful, find another one," she told me.
Pursuing education is similar to mental health recovery: It's all about self-advocacy, asking for help, and leaning into peer support.
"Making an appointment with an advisor was easy, but actually going to the meeting was so hard," she continued, "I luckily found an advisor who listened to my goals and mapped out my options. She was one of the most important people in my education."
Through our journeys, we both learned that if you have the right people in your corner, you can achieve anything.
Johan and Sabine Bogaerts left the Netherlands and moved to Koh Lanta, an island in Thailand, to start a beach resort.
Mellow Mango.
Johan and Sabine Bogaerts left the Netherlands and moved to Thailand to open a beach resort.
The couple says they always dreamed of running their own business instead of working for someone else.
While life now feels "slower, and definitely more fulfilling," Johan, 54, says it's not all play.
In November 2022, Johan and Sabine Bogaerts packed up their lives and moved from the Netherlands to Koh Lanta, an island off the west coast of Thailand, with their two sons.
They had traveled to Thailand countless times on vacation and loved everything about the country, but it was the pandemic that gave them the idea of moving there.
"Life just happens really fast, and we wanted to do something else before it was too late, physically and also mentally," Sabine, 51, a former chef, told Business Insider.
Johan and Sabine Bogaerts always dreamed of starting a business of their own.
Mellow Mango.
The couple always dreamed of managing something on their own instead of working for someone else.
"We've agreed to change our life a little bit, get out of the rat race, and do something totally different in a beautiful country that we knew already," Johan, 54, a welding engineer, told BI.
They found the property online and viewed it via video call. This is how the rooms looked before the couple renovated them.
Mellow Mango.
"We found this piece of property online. We were interested, and we knew the area since we've been here a few times," Johan said.
The property was located less than 200 feet away from Klong Khong beach, a popular tourist destination on Koh Lanta.
Koh Lanta is part of the Krabi province and is about 45 miles from Krabi International Airport. Visitors can also reach Koh Lanta via a 1.5-hour ferry ride from Phuket.
It was already built like a resort with freestanding rooms but looked dated, with minimal furniture and basic finishings. Due to the pandemic, the original resort had ceased operations, and the humid climate had left the property in a bad state.
One of the back rooms on the property before the couple renovated it.
Mellow Mango.
Despite that, the couple saw its potential and made their decision during a video call with their agent.
Since foreigners can't own land in Thailand, the couple leased the property for 20 years instead. They declined to share specifics, but estimated that their total costs β inclusive of renovations β came up to about 200,000 euros, or about $206,000.
The couple also said they managed to sell their house in Holland, which helped cover their costs.
Running a resort by the beach
Thailand has long been a popular spot for tourists and expats alike, thanks to its rich culture and relatively low cost of living.
In recent years, it's also been a popular destination for retirees: Thailand was ranked 10th on International Living's 2025 Annual Global Retirement Index.
However, the couple says that they knew they weren't ready to retire and decided to start a business in Thailand.
The first thing they did after getting their keys was to remodel almost the entire place.
Mellow Mango.
"I think retiring at 50 would be so boring for us," Sabine said.
"You have to be really comfortable. We were doing OK, but we weren't ready financially to totally retire yet," Johan added.
When they got the keys to the property, the first thing they did was start renovating and getting it up to their own standards.
"We took out some walls, made them bigger, redid all the bathrooms, made new balconies, new paint β everything is brand new," Johan said.
The resort has 16 guest bungalows, a pool, a restaurant and bar, and a laundry area.
The property has 16 guest bungalows and is located right by Klong Khong beach, a popular tourist destination in Koh Lanta.
Mellow Mango.
Their busiest season runs from the beginning of December until the end of March, since that's when the weather is sunny with less rain. Room rates during the low season are about one-third of the price of the high season, Sabine said.
During the low season, the cheapest room is around 1,100 Thai baht, or about $32. During the high season, the same room can go for around 2,600 Thai baht, or about $75, Johan said.
The couple employs nine full-time staff.
Mellow Mango.
The couple also employs nine full-time staff, including a receptionist, housekeepers, kitchen staff, and gardeners.
"With us, a deal is a deal, and a time of finishing is the time of finishing, but that's a little bit different here. So, we really have to adapt to that," Johan said.
Peak season runs from the beginning of December until the end of March.
Mellow Mango.
A "slower, and definitely more fulfilling" life
One of the things they loved most about their lifestyle now compared to back in the Netherlands is that they no longer feel the need to keep up with the Joneses.
"You decide yourself. For me, it's that you're not being driven by something that needs to be done. When we were living in Holland, everything had to be the way things were," Johan said. "You have a lot of possessions and you were only busy trying to maintain and to upkeep all the possessions that you have."
The couple says that life is slower and more fulfilling now.
"We have beautiful surroundings. We have many palm trees, and we hear the birds, and we can look at the ocean from here," Sabine said.
However, there are times when they miss the Netherlands, too β especially the weather. Thailand has a humid tropical climate, and the weather is either "hot or really hot" or "raining or not raining," Johan said.
"We do have to say that we miss a little bit of cold sometimes," he said. "We're seasonal people. We grew up in the four seasons, so that's something you tend to miss a little bit."
Even the Christmas season doesn't feel the same anymore.
"We, of course, never ever worn a jacket anymore or proper shoes or trousers," Sabine said, adding that her go-to outfits now are sleeveless tops and shorts.
Work-life balance in Thailand
These days, the couple's routine starts by dropping off their youngest, 7, at school before heading to the resort to check in on things. Their other son, 21, returned to the Netherlands last March.
"It's a little more difficult for him to visit friends sometimes, like he did in The Netherlands, but he loves the beach life here," Sabine said.
The rest of the couple's day is usually spent on miscellaneous tasks β such as fixing things around the property and getting groceries for the restaurant β to ensure the resort runs smoothly,
While life now feels "slower, and definitely more fulfilling," Johan says it's not all play.
The couple has been busy getting the resort up and running over the past years, and they've only just begun to somewhat settle down β considering that they also recently opened a restaurant nearby serving European and Thai cuisine.
"People think, 'Ah, you must be so happy you can watch the sunset every evening.' We hardly do because we're always busy," Sabine said. "At the moment, everything is sort of done. Of course, in a resort, you are never truly done, but all the massive projects are done. So, I don't know, maybe life is going to be different now."
Have you recently relocated to a new country and found or renovated your dream home? If you have a story to share, contact this reporter at [email protected].
The author traveled to Hong Kong for a four-day solo trip.
Nikada/Getty Images/iStockphoto
To kick off 2025, Erin Liam visited Hong Kong for the first time in January.
Having grown up in Singapore, she had expected the cities to be similar.
However, she was surprised by several ways of life, including sharing tables with strangers.
When I told my family I was planning a trip to Hong Kong, they responded, "Why? Isn't Hong Kong similar to Singapore?"
In some ways, they are right. Hong Kong and Singapore β where I grew up β are often compared to one another. Both cities have high population densities, serve as global financial hubs, and are known for being expensive.
But on a four-day solo trip there in January, I was surprised to see how different the cities were.
The author was surprised when a local joined her at her table to eat.
Erin Liam
1. Sharing tables with strangers
On my first night, I settled into a cozy beef noodle restaurant and was mid-slurp when a middle-aged man sat across from me at my table. Without even a glance in my direction, he ordered his dish and tucked in.
Although initially confused, I learned that table sharing, known as dap toi, is a dining norm in the city. The practice isn't meant to be intrusive, nor is it an invitation to make conversation. It simply arises from the lack of space and the need for efficiency.
It makes sense. Hong Kong, a city slightly smaller than Rome, has a population of around 7.5 million, per its mid-2024 census. Yet, government data from 2018 showed that only about 24% of land area is built-up. The result is a densely populated city where space is a luxury.
Minibuses are a transport service in Hong Kong.
Erin Liam
2. Speaking up on minibuses
Hong Kong is not a city for the soft-spoken. I learned the hard way that you must speak up to get what you want β on minibuses, at least. Also known as public light buses, minibuses provide an efficient mode of transportation to areas that Hong Kong's standard buses may not easily reach.
On route to the start of a hiking trail to Braemer Hill Peak, a spot to catch sunset views of the city, I took a minibus to avoid the 1-mile climb up. When the minibus reached my stop, however, it simply zoomed past and traveled back down.
As it turned out, not all minibuses have "stop" buttons that I was familiar with. Instead, passengers alert the bus driver when they want to get off by saying "yau lok," which means to stop the bus in Cantonese. It was, not surprisingly, a daunting task for an introvert.
On that day, I resigned myself to walking back up the hill and avoided minibuses for the rest of the trip.
Macaroni soup is a breakfast staple at local eateries in Hong Kong.
I was eager to try Hong Kong-style French toast. Unlike French toast in the US β typically pan-fried and served with maple syrup β Hong Kong-style French toast is usually stuffed with peanut butter, deep-fried, then topped with condensed milk. The dish was introduced to Hong Kong during British colonial times and evolved to adapt to local tastes and ingredients.
When I attempted to order the treat for breakfast, however, the waiter wagged her finger and pointed to another menu β the afternoon tea menu. French toast, it seems, is considered a tea-time snack that is usually enjoyed later in the day. Instead, I settled for macaroni soup for breakfast. Funnily, it was something I would consider more of a lunch dish.
The next afternoon, I returned to a nearby cha chaan teng to attempt to order the dish again β only to be served french fries due to miscommunication.
In Hong Kong's busy districts, long lines are a common sight.
Erin Liam
4. Lines are everywhere, but they usually move quickly
On my first day, I walked miles to check out Hong Kong's famous eateries, only to give up upon seeing the long lines. But when I took a chance on one, I was surprised by how quickly it moved. As a city that prioritizes efficiency and speed, people eat and leave quickly, so lines move fast.
As a solo diner, I saw the benefits of dap toi. It was like joining a single-rider line at Disneyland, and I soon got used to sharing tables with strangers in crowded eateries.
Looking back, I could have enjoyed egg tarts and steamed rice rolls if I had been a little more patient.
The author was surprised by Hong Kong's fast pace of life.
Erin Liam
5. Everything moves at twice the speed
When I met up with a local friend for dinner, she finished a plate of roasted pork rice within minutes. "You're done already?" I asked in amusement. "Hong Kong speed," she simply replied.
Indeed, everything moves quickly in Hong Kong. In busy districts like Mong Kok and Central, the Mass Transit Railway train arrives every other minute. People walk as if they are on a mission, and waiters almost expect you to know what to order the moment you sit down.
I was used to the fast pace of life in Singapore and assumed Hong Kong would match it. Instead, it surpassed my expectations and, at times, felt jarring. But, it was the bustling energy that made the city feel truly alive.
I'll be back again. Next time, I'll make sure to order my French toast correctly.
TikTok creators shared their thoughts on how the app's potential shutdown threatens their income.
Jaap Arriens/NurPhoto via Getty Images.
TikTok restored services in the US after 12 hours of downtime, easing some creators' concerns.
Creators rely on TikTok for income, from product sales and ad deals to the app's affiliate program.
With TikTok's future still uncertain, some creators are planning to diversify how they sell online.
TikTok restored services in the US on Sunday, easing the concerns of content creators and entrepreneurs who make their living from the platform β at least for now.
The platform was down for 12 hours starting late Saturday night and was restored following a Truth Social post by President-Elect Donald Trump, who said he'd issue an executive order on Monday to delay the ban. TikTok's future remains unclear, as its China-based parent company, ByteDance, has so far refused to divest from the app as required by law, but for now, the economy driven by TikTok can continue to churn.
"My whole livelihood was on the line this weekend," Live shopping host Kimberly Balance told Business Insider. "Never experienced anything like this the entire time that I've been a business owner."
Balance, who goes by KIMMIEBBAGS, sells luxury consignment goods on TikTok, Instagram, and the marketplace platform Whatnot. Last week, she relocated her business from Florida to California to expand her live shopping operations.
Balance was set to host a six-hour live shopping show on TikTok on Saturday as part of a new live shopping partnership she had struck with Reunited Luxury. On Thursday evening, TikTok informed her that her Friday meeting with the platform's luxury sales manager was canceled. Her show on Saturday was canceled soon after,Β in a blow to her business' revenue.
Since it launched in 2023, TikTok's online marketplace, TikTok Shop, has quickly become a prime source of revenue for creators on the platform. The app also has an affiliate program where creators can earn a commission for sales they help drive by tagging products in videos or live streams. Creators can also package products from different sellers on their profiles for users to search through. TikTok takes a cut of each transaction.
In its April 2024Β economic impact report, the companyΒ said TikTok "brings tens of billions of dollars to the US economy," including $15 billion in revenue to small businesses that use the app, supporting more than 224,000 jobs. Business Insider could not independently confirm these internal statistics.
Before TikTok "went dark" on Saturday night, some creators on the platform told Business Insider they worried the ban could hurt them financially.
In a press release for the social media app Own, one creator, ChalkDunny, said he made more than 60% of his income in 2024. Another creator, izzybizzyspider, said in the release that TikTok is her "biggest source of income and biggest platform."
She warned that creators on the app have to be "prepared to be flexible and adapt quickly."
Nadya Okamoto, founder of menstrual-care brand August, which sells products on TikTok, told Business Insider she is "relieved" that TikTok came back online. However, she said the ongoing volatility over the ban prompted her to develop a contingency plan that reduces her reliance on the app.
"I've been encouraging my followers to connect with me on platforms like Instagram and YouTube for updates," she said. "I'm also exploring other affiliate shopping opportunities, such as YouTube Shop, where I've started adding shoppable productsβparticularly in my skincare-related videos."
Balance said she plans to switch up the platforms where she does business, given TikTok's still-uncertain future.
"We're going to continue probably to lean on the other channels like Instagram and possibly launch a YouTube," she said. "I think this is just an eye opener for all small businesses that we need to have a diverse way to reach our audiences."
TikTok did not immediately return a request for comment from Business Insider for this story.
Lebanon elected General Joseph Aoun as president earlier this month, ending a two-year presidential vacuum.
Just days later, Nawaf Salam was named as the country's prime minister.
Business Insider has taken a look at what the moves mean for Hezbollah.
Lebanon elected General Joseph Aoun, the head of the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF), as president earlier this month, ending a more than two-year presidential vacuum.
Just days later, Nawaf Salam, who had been serving as the president of the International Court of Justice, was named as prime minister, replacing the Hezbollah-backed caretaker prime minister Najib Mikati.
The moves marked a dramatic shift in Lebanon's power balance and highlighted the weakened state of Hezbollah, one of the country's most powerful political players.
Here's what we know about Lebanon's shifting political landscape and what it means for Hezbollah.
The group had been exchanging strikes with Israeli forces since October 2023, in the wake of Hamas' October 7 attacks.
But it was thrown into disarray after Israel killed its longtime leader, Hassan Nasrallah, and wounded thousands of its fighters with exploding pagers and walkie-talkies.
A cease-fire deal between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah took effect in November.
These events have come as heavy blows to Hezbollah, depleting its resources and diminishing its ability to project its influence into Lebanese politics.
The appointments of Aoun and Salam may further compound Hezbollah's position.
Aoun was seen as the favored candidate of both the US and Saudi Arabia, which had spent years trying to end Lebanon's political stalemate.
A rival candidate preferred by Hezbollah had withdrawn prior to the vote, paving the way for Aoun's election.
"If the Lebanese army expands its presence into areas formerly controlled by Hezbollah, it will be more challenging for the group to rebuild its capabilities," said Will Todman, the deputy director and senior fellow in the Middle East Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).
"And if President Aoun alone is credited with securing international funding for reconstruction, it could further the sense that Hezbollah abandoned its constituents during and after the conflict with Israel," Todman added.
However, Aoun may be reluctant to provoke Hezbollah as he seeks to stabilize a country that has been mired in economic crisis and devastated by Israeli strikes.
"Hezbollah, no doubt, will be sharply watching the new president's moves in the coming months," wrote Nicholas Blanford, a nonresident senior fellow with the Atlantic Council's Middle East Programs. "Aoun is a pragmatist and is unlikely to provoke a confrontation with Hezbollah that, despite receiving a battering in the recent war, remains domestically powerful and potentially dangerous if it feels threatened."
While Hezbollah did not oppose Aoun's nomination, Salam's appointment as prime minister is said to have angered the group β which had sought to get Mikati reappointed.
Mohammed Raad, a Hezbollah lawmaker, reportedly said the group had taken "a positive step" by helping elect Aoun as president and was "hoping to find that hand extended, only to find it was cut off."
Salam has committed to implementing a UN Security Council resolution related to the Israeli conflict with Hezbollah that, in part, says Hezbollah should not have an armed presence near the border with Israel.
However, analysts say Salam is unlikely to risk provoking the group too much while he tends to more pressing needs.
"Salam is highly unlikely to juggle his uphill battle to extract Lebanon from near-total collapse while clashing β politically or otherwise β with one of the country's most socially and politically powerful factions," David Daoud, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies think tank, said.
For his part, Salam has said that the formation of a new government would not be delayed, that his hands were "extended to everyone," and that he was committed to starting "a new chapter" in Lebanon "rooted in justice, security, progress, and opportunities," per Reuters.
People in Lebanon celebrating Aoun's election.
Houssam Shbaro/Anadolu via Getty Images
Aoun and Salam
Aoun joined the LAF in 1983, during the Lebanese Civil War, and he became its commander in 2017. His forces have an important role in maintaining the cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah.
Aoun is regarded as a "no-nonsense," nonpartisan figure who tends to avoid political discussions, the Associated Press reported.
Bilal Saab, a former Pentagon official who met Aoun on multiple occasions, told the outlet that the president was a "very sweet man, very compassionate, very warm."
"He really was viciously nonpartisan, did not have any interest in even delivering speeches or doing media," Saab said. "He wanted to take care of business, and his only order of business was commanding the Lebanese army."
Salam became Lebanon's ambassador to the United Nations in New York in 2007. He held the position for 10 years.
In 2018, he was elected a judge on the ICJ, and he became its president in 2024.
Salam presided over ICJ hearings stemming from South Africa's allegations that Israel was committing genocide in Gaza.
Nawaf Salam.
ANWAR AMRO/AFP via Getty Images
World leaders and officials from around the world have welcomed the appointments of Aoun and Salam.
President Joe Biden said in a statement that he "strongly" believed Aoun was "the right leader for this time."
"President Aoun will provide critical leadership as Lebanon and Israel fully implement that cessation of hostilities and as hundreds of thousands of people return to their homes and Lebanon recovers and rebuilds," he said.
The Iranian embassy in Lebanon also welcomed the news, saying it looked forward to working with Aoun to strengthen relations between the two nations.
UN Secretary-General AntΓ³nio Guterres took to X to congratulate Salam on being named prime minister.
"The road ahead for Lebanon is filled with promise but also great tests," he wrote.
In Israel, the news gave rise to mixed reactions.
Israel's minister of foreign affairs, Gideon Sa'ar, congratulated Lebanon on the appointment of Aoun, but he criticized Salam's nomination.
"The President of the ICJ, just appointed Prime Minister of Lebanon, has called Israel an enemy," he wrote. "How can such a person be expected to judge Israel fairly? President Salam's decisions regarding Israel must be disqualified immediately. Otherwise they might as well take the 'J' out of the ICJ."
The TikTok ban has some users contemplating their scrolling habits.
Osmancan Gurdogan/Anadolu via Getty Images
The TikTok ban, which may be shortlived, prompted some users to reevaluate scrolling culture.
The app went dark over the weekend before Trump said he would extend TikTok's deadline to sell.
The uncertainty drove many users to other apps. Others said they might ditch scrolling altogether.
As the days turned into hours ahead of the TikTok ban, many Americans shared a common refrain: "Follow me on RedNote!"
The mass migration to yet another Chinese-owned short-form video app pushed Xiaohongshu, also known as RedNote, to the top of Apple's app store, with Lemon8, TikTok's sister app, close behind.Apps like Instagram, X, and YouTube are also vying for users' attention.
Some TikTok users, however, say that the confusion over the app's future is causing them to consider another option: Ditch scrolling altogether.
TikTok went dark overnight on Saturday in anticipation of a ban. Then, on Sunday, it began coming back online after President-elect Donald Trump said he would delay the ban via executive order.
It was just the latest about-face in a week of uncertainty that left TikTok users feeling "jerked around," Casey Lewis, author of the youth consumer insights newsletter After School, told Business Insider.
"I think this has been the weirdest week on TikTok, from a consumption standpoint," Lewis said. "I had an onslaught of people resharing the first TikTok they ever made or the first sound they ever saved, so that sort of nostalgia."
At 37, Lewis said she's seen her share of social media apps come and go.
"These young people who stumbled onto TikTok, unless something just is totally right there, easy to jump into, I can't see that they will seek something out, and I do think that their screen time will drop," Lewis said.
From mourning to reevaluating
While many users said they would find similar apps to fill the void left by TikTok, others said they'd look for better things to do, like read, work out, or even "touch grass" to avoid being pulled onto yet another app andback into "doom-scrolling" culture in general.
"I am a victim of doom-scrolling all the time. I really shouldn't be because I have a baby too, so it's like when she's napping, I should really be getting stuff done, but I'm on my phone on TikTok," Robin Reineke, a 28-year-old real-estate agent in St. Louis, told Business Insider.
Reineke said she made some money from her lifestyle content on TikTok, but it wasn't her whole life or her sole source of income. Part of what made the app special was its algorithm and the community it forged among its users, as if "you're on FaceTime with your best friends," she said.
Given the app's unresolvedfuture, she intends to pour more time and energy into herself and her work.
"I'm excited to be able to take my life back, and I am trying to focus on this new healthy era for myself," she said. "It's giving me the opportunity to just focus back on physical and mental health and not consuming so much of what everybody else is doing all the time."
Creators question moving to other social media apps
Users aren't the only ones reassessing β content creators are, too.
Sierra Boudreaux, a 26-year-old who worked in finance until she became a full-time content creator, had similar thoughts. In a TikTok she posted last week, she joked: "And if we do lose this, I don't think I'm going to RedNote. Like, I think I'm just going to have a baby, shit!"
While she told BI she was mostly poking fun at her screentime on TikTok β "If I'm not spending all of my time creating content or consuming content on this app, I would have the time to then get pregnant, have a baby, raise a child" β she said she is skeptical about pivoting to RedNote, which she said may not have as many branding and monetization opportunities as other apps that are more established in the United States.
"I think that while it could be fun," Boudreaux said, "a lot of creators are probably like me in this mode where it's like, 'Okay, what is our next pivot career-wise, and what makes a lot of sense to invest our time in?'"
While RedNote is well-established in China, it could be just a "blip in the radar" for Americans, Boudreaux said.
"Should I be creating content for this up-and-coming (in the US market, at least) platform?" she said. "Or should I be focusing on X, my podcast that I have, Instagram, the whole Meta universe?"
Boudreaux said spending time reading or training for a marathon might be a better movefor her, noting that she had already scaled down her TikTok screentime in recent months.
"As a creator engaging with other creators, whether they're mutuals of mine or not, there's this underlying level of comparison. What is their engagement? What are their views? What are their likes? And so it wasn't really just this reprieve for me, it was also this breeding ground for me to see what everyone else doing and then compare myself to it," she said. "So I have filled my time in other ways."
The business of magic in a bottle
While some people might rethink their social media habits, the majority will likely focus on finding an adequate substitute (at least until TikTok figures out its future), Charles Lindsey, an associate professor of marketing at the University at Buffalo's School of Management, told BI.
When there's industry change for regulatory or competitive reasons, "sometimes you'll see a certain percentage of people that will say, 'You know what? I'm going to take this time to reflect and unplug before I decide what to do next.' And that's certainly a valid response," Lindsey said.
But the vast majority of users would still end up migrating to other apps if they haven't already, he said.
TikTok was briefly unavailable for US users overnight on Saturday.
illustration by Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images
So the race is on to see which app can absorb wayward TikTok users, whether that's RedNote or Lemon8, Meta platforms, X, or YouTube. There's also a possibility that other apps emerge to fill the void, Lindsey said.
"For a lot of users and content creators, it really boils down to dollars and cents," Lindsey said. "I think whichever platform makes the most sense in terms of pushing out their content, developing a critical mass of followers, and getting their existing followers to migrate over and so on."
Though the TikTok ban brought on a distinct upswing in Mark Zuckerberg-hate and promises to boycott his apps, outrage alone may not be enough to move the needle on which app ultimately fills the void.
"I think you can have a preference, and we're seeing that with RedNote shooting up to the top," Lindsey added. "Whether that then becomes the app of choice three, six months, a year down the road, I think it all boils down to the functionality of the app."
It may also come down to mimicking the magic-in-a-bottle that was the TikTok experience, which had a unique rise to popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic and a subsequent five-year reign, Lewis said. TikTok had an "unbeatable" algorithm and comment sections that kept users entertained and engaged, she said.
"I think if they have to search too hard for a suitable alternative, then they will reevaluate their time," Lewis said. "Consumers aren't lazy, but they aren't going to jump through hoops in order to figure out a way to waste time on the internet."
Former Trump White House chief strategist Steve Bannon is skeptical of some of the tech billionaires in the president-elect's orbit.
David Dee Delgado/Getty Images
Steve Bannon told ABC News that Trump "broke" the tech giants who've embraced him.
"He broke them, and they surrendered," the ex-Trump White House aide said on Sunday.
Bannon has expressed skepticism toward Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
Ex-Trump White House chief strategist Steve Bannon said Sunday during an ABC News interview that the attendance of high-profile tech moguls at Donald Trump's inauguration on Monday signals their "official surrender" to the president-elect.
Bannon, while speaking with journalist Jonathan Karl on "This Week," said he wasn't surprised by the expected appearances of Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg at Trump's inaugural.
"As soon as Zuckerberg said, 'I've been invited. I'm going,' the floodgates opened up, and they were all there knocking, trying to be supplicants," Bannon told Karl. "I think most people in our movement look at this as President Trump broke the oligarchs; he broke them, and they surrendered."
Bannon then pointed to President Joe Biden's farewell speech last week, when the departing president warned that "an oligarchy is taking shape in America," expressing his view that extreme wealth and influence threatened the nation.
"When Biden talks about that⦠they only became oligarchs when they flipped on him when they surrendered, and they're going to come to Trump's thing," Bannon said.
The former Trump aide then compared the attendance of the tech titans to Japan officially surrendering on the USS Missouri in September 1945, an event which marked the end of World War II.
"He's like Gen. Douglas MacArthur," Bannon said of the president-elect. "That is an official surrender, and I think it's powerful."
Bezos and Zuckerberg are set to be guests at Trump's inauguration, and Musk β a political ally of Trump who has become a fixture of the president-elect's political orbit β will also be in attendance.
Amazon and Meta each donated $1 million to Trump's inaugural fund. Other companies have also donated money as many business leaders seek to establish or strengthen ties with Trump ahead of his second term.
Bannon, during the ABC interview, however expressed skepticism of their recent warmness toward Trump.
"Zuckerberg's, you know, road to Damascus came a little late. It was after the Fifth of November," Bannon told Karl. "It's very, you know, now wants to be a bro. β¦ That doesn't hack it with me."
"That guy will flip on President Trump, and he'll flip on us in a second when it's convenient for him," he added.
Earlier in January, Bannon called Musk a "truly evil guy" after the tech mogul stood behind his support of H-1B visas. Many conservatives have argued against the visas, insistent that the skilled-worker program is detrimental to American workers.
"I will have Elon Musk run out of here by Inauguration Day," Bannon said at the time.
Business Insider reached out to Amazon and Meta for comment.
Costco workers practice picketing at a warehouse in San Diego.
Teamsters
Costco workers affiliated with the Teamsters union have voted in favor of going on strike.
The strike will start if no deal is reached by the January 31 deadline.
Teamsters president Sean O'Brien has pledged to win "the strongest contract in Costco's history."
Costco workers are ready to strike.
Unionized warehouse employees affiliated with the Teamsters union have voted "overwhelmingly" in favor of going on strike, the union told Business Insider.
The vote came ahead of a January 31 contract expiration deadline. The contract covers over 18,000 workers across the United States, including the recently unionized warehouse in Norfolk, Virginia. Costco employs over 300,000 people worldwide, over 200,000 of which work in the United States.
"Costco's greedy executives have less than two weeks to do the right thing," Teamsters General President Sean O'Brien said in a statement. "If they refuse, they'll have no one to blame but themselves when our members go on strike."
Representatives for Costco did not immediately respond to a request for comment from BI on the vote. Costco CEO Ron Vachris addressed the negotiations during a quarterly earnings call in December, saying that the company is focused on a "fair and timely process" to reach an agreement.
"We have a 40-year track record of dealing fairly with the Teamsters union," he added. "And we're going to do everything we can to take care of those employees as we do all of our employees."
Last week, local chapters in New York, California, and Costco's home state of Washington held practice picket activities, carrying signs reading "Just Sampling" and "A taste of what's to come."
Of those who participated in the strike authorization vote, 85% voted in favor. The vote empowers the Teamsters bargaining committee to call for a strike once the contract has expired.
"We are the backbone of Costco," Bryan Fields, a Costco worker in Baltimore and member of Teamsters Local 570, said in a statement. "We drive its success and generate its profits."
O'Brien has pledged to win "the strongest contract in Costco's history," with a raft of proposals, including higher wages and expanded benefits.
Bargaining is set to resume on Monday.
If you are a Costco worker who wants to share your perspective, please contact Dominick via email or text/call/Signal at 646.768.4750. Responses will be kept confidential, and Business Insider strongly recommends using a personal email and a non-work device when reaching out.
Protesters held rallies on Sunday ahead of the annual Word Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland.
Hugh Langley/Business Insider
Donald Trump and Elon Musk are looming large over this year's World Economic Forum.
Protests in Davos began on Sunday, with some demonstrators blocking traffic.
The president of the Young Socialists called out Musk's meddling in European politics.
Protests against the World Economic Forum in Davos began on Sunday, with demonstrators showing up to make their voices heard on issues like economic inequality and the climate crisis.
There are two other concerns on their minds this year, too: President-elect Donald Trump and Elon Musk.
Dozens of protesters from the Young Socialists Switzerland, an offshoot of the country's Social Democratic Party, gathered on Sunday outside the Hotel Davoserhof, just off the main promenade in Davos. Other demonstrators blocked traffic further down the mountain, preventing some meeting attendees from reaching their destination.
About 3,000 world leaders also descended on the snow-blanketed town of Davos on Sunday ahead of the conference, where they will discuss issues ranging from clean energy to artificial intelligence.
Mirjam Hostetmann, president of the Young Socialists, said economic inequality, climate change, and global conflicts were top of mind for demonstrators.
However, with Trump set to be inaugurated as the 47th president of the United States on Monday, his shadow, along with Musk's, also loomed large.
"For us, Trump is a danger to democracy," Hostetmann told Business Insider. "His colleague Elon Musk is now disturbing the democracy in Europe. It's a symbol of how dangerous the power of the rich is for us all."
An umbrella at protests ahead of the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland on Sunday.
Hugh Langley/Business Insider
Trump, who is expected to be a big topic of conversation over the week, will address the forum remotely, the WEF announced. The timing of his inauguration has also left CEOs with a dilemma: Attend Trump's big day or attend the first day of Davos.
Musk, who has criticized the WEF, will lead Trump's so-called Department of Government Efficiency, which seeks to drastically cut government spending. In recent weeks, Musk has also championed right-wing politics in Europe.
"Trump is, of course, a big worry we have," said Charlotte GΓΌnther, another member of the Young Socialists. She said she was there because climate change and global conflicts are her biggest concerns.
"The biggest issue is that you can't put profit over the environment," she told BI. "I will listen to the speeches, make some noise, and try to show those people that we're here."
One climate protester dressed as Trump was getting a lot of attention from passers-by. "We have a real issue, and he has the power to make a change," he told BI, referring to the next US president.
A protester at Davos dressed as Donald Trump.
Spriha Srivastava/Business Insider
Hostetmann said the Young Socialists expected other groups to join them in the coming hours and days, including anti-capitalism activists from Strike WEF. A march is scheduled for later in the week, she added.
"It's funny because I will be invited to the forum," Hostetmann said. "But my place is here, not there."
Got more insight to share? You can reach the reporter Hugh Langley via the encrypted messaging app Signal (+1-628-228-1836) or email ([email protected]).
TikTok users, frustrated by the app going dark, turned their anger on Mark Zuckerberg.
Celal Gunes/Anadolu via Getty Images
TikTok went dark for American users on Saturday night.
TikTok users directed their anger at Mark Zuckerberg and Meta.
TikTok began returning on Sunday after Trump said he'd issue an executive order delaying a ban.
The hate train started almost immediately after TikTok went dark.
"Why do you ruin everything you touch," one Instagram user wrote.
"Btw tik tok is a better app. Reels will never be tik tok, reels only exist cus of tik tok. You stole stories from snap chat and you made threads cus of twitter," another wrote.
"You are hated by 170 million people," wrote yet another.
All these comments from so-called TikTok 'refugees' showed up on Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg's most recent Instagram post, which was posted shortly after TikTok went dark for American users on Saturday night. The video of a surfing Zuckerberg, which was initially filled with Instagram users lauding his skills, was quickly overrun with angry users.
For those few hours, however β and for the days leading up to the potential ban β TikTok users directed their ire at Meta apps like Instagram and Facebook. A flyer promoting a boycott of the apps β dubbed "Lights Out Meta" and scheduled from January 19 to 26 β circulated on Reddit.
On X, users said their frustrations stemmed in part from the US government citing national security concerns as a reason to ban TikTok.
When the Supreme Court upheld the law on Friday that requires TikTok to divest its US-based operations or effectively cease operations, the justices said it was "necessary to address its well-supported national security concerns regarding TikTok's data collection practices and relationship with a foreign adversary."
Some X users said that stance is hypocritical because American-based apps like Facebook have also shared user data with foreign entities. Facebook said it had data-sharing partnerships with at least four Chinese electronics companies β including Huawei β in 2018, according to The New York Times. The outlet reported that American intelligence officials had previously flagged Huawei as a national security threat.
More recently, senators sent a letter to Zuckerberg questioning Meta about documents showing that Facebook developers in China and Russia had access to user data, according to Reuters. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio shared the letter on his website in 2023.
"It appears from these documents that Facebook has known, since at least September 2018, that hundreds of thousands of developers in countries Facebook characterized as 'high-risk,' including the People's Republic of China (PRC), had access to significant amounts of sensitive user data," the letter read.
One X user cited The New York Times article about Facebook's data-sharing partnerships with Chinese companies.
"Folks forgot about this with all the focus on TikTok, but Meta/Facebook was selling your data to China for years," the user wrote.
As some American TikTok users regained access to their accounts, they celebrate on competing social media sites.
"MY TIKTOK IS WORKING ITS BACK EVERYONE," one X user wrote.
A representative for Meta did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.
Mobile card game Marvel Snap went offline in the United States as a consequence of the TikTok ban.
Marvel Snap
"Marvel Snap" was removed from US app stores alongside TikTok this weekend.
The Supreme Court upheld a law requiring ByteDance to divest TikTok, affecting its other apps too.
"Marvel Rivals" is so far unaffected but is also owned by a major Chinese conglomerate.
"Marvel Snap," a popular mobile card game, is now gone from US app stores as a consequence of the TikTok drama.
TikTok followed through on its promise to "go dark" in the United States on Saturday night after the Supreme Court upheld a law requiring its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, to find a non-Chinese buyer for its US operations.
While current users can access TikTok, the social media app and other ones owned by ByteDance are still not available in app stores. That includes video editing app Cap Cut, social media app Lemon8, and "Marvel Snap."
Users who tried to log into "Marvel Snap" on Sunday were met with a similar message to the one that for several hours greeted users on TikTok. The message says that "Marvel Snap" is currently "not available" after a law was enacted that banned the app in the United States.
"Rest assured we're working to restore our service in the US. Please stay tuned!" the message says. In a since deleted post, "Marvel Snap" developers said on X that they were not told the app would shut down before the ban.
"Unfortunately, MARVEL SNAP is temporarily unavailable in US app stores and is unavailable to play in the US," the post said. "This outage is a surprise to us and wasn't planned. MARVEL SNAP isn't going anywhere. We're actively working on getting the game up as soon as possible and will update you once we have more to share."
"Marvel Snap" isn't the only popular Marvel game owned and created by a large Chinese developer. "Marvel Rivals," developed by Chinese company NetEase, was released in December to massive player numbers across the United States.
"Marvel Rivals" hit a peak player count of over 640,000 on Steam, the PC game store, this month, in addition to being one of the top games in the PlayStation and Xbox stores, according to Forbes.
In December, just weeks before the TikTok and "Marvel Snap" ban was to go into effect, "Marvel Rivals" and "Marvel Snap" participated in collaborative events, which required users to log in to their accounts on each game, sharing account information between the two.
"Marvel Rivals" also participated in similar events in December with "Fortnite," which is owned by American developer Epic Games. Tencent, another Chinese gaming mega-corporation, owns about 29% of Epic Games.
Tencent has a strong footing in the US games industry. It owns 100% of Riot Games, which makes "League of Legends" and "Valorant," and has significant investments in the makers of "Clash of Clans," among others.
While companies like NetEase and Tencent don't have a specific "app," laws like the one targeting ByteDance could ultimately lead to scrutiny of their involvement in the US games industry, games YouTuber and analyst Paul Tassi wrote in Forbes.
"The claim here could be that Tencent being intimately involved with loads of major games that US citizens, and particularly children, are playing might be a "harmful" Chinese influence, or something along those lines," Tassi wrote.
Marvel Studios did not immediately return a request for comment from Business Insider on Sunday.
TikTok shut down its app for its US users on Saturday.
Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
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!"
President-elect Donald Trump said he'll sign an executive order delaying the TikTok ban after he takes office.
Scott Olson/Getty Images
President-elect Trump said he'll sign an executive order on Monday delaying the TikTok ban.
The social media app went dark on Saturday just before a federal ban took effect. It is now being restored.
Trump once sought to ban TikTok in the US. But over the past year, he has embraced the app.
President-elect Donald Trump on Sunday said he plans to issue an executive order after his inauguration on Monday to delay enforcement of the TikTok ban.
Trump, who's just a day away from being sworn into office for his second term, made the statement on his Truth Social platform hours after the hugely popular social media app went dark.
The president-elect said his executive order would "extend the period of time before the law's prohibitions take effect" and added that "there will be no liability for any company that helped keep TikTok from going dark" prior to the order.
Trump didn't specify the length of time he'd give ByteDance, the Chinese company that owns TikTok, to find a non-Chinese buyer, but he said he'd like the United States to "have a 50% ownership position in a joint venture."
"Without U.S. approval, there is no TikTok," the president-elect wrote. "With our approval, it is worth hundreds of billions of dollars - maybe trillions."
It wasn't immediately clear if Trump meant the US government or just a US entity.
Shortly after Trump's remarks on Truth Social, TikTok, in a statement to Business Insider, said it was "in the process of restoring service" to its users in the United States.
"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," TikTok said.
TikTok's stoppage came after ByteDance spent months challenging a law that required the company to divest from its US app or effectively be cut off from operating in the country.
Last year, the TikTok ban was easily passed in both the House and the Senate in bipartisan votes, with many lawmakers expressing national security concerns about ByteDance.
Biden signed the TikTok ban bill into law in April 2024.
After TikTok on Saturday said it would "go dark" in the US unless Biden intervened, the administration called the statement a "stunt."
"It is a stunt, and we see no reason for TikTok or other companies to take actions in the next few days before the Trump Administration takes office on Monday," White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told Reuters.
Trump during his first term unsuccessfully sought to ban TikTok in the United States, but has since shied away from that position. During the 2024 presidential campaign, he said young people would "go crazy without it." Trump himself joined TikTok in advance of the 2024 race.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk, a Trump ally, said on X on Sunday that he's long been opposed to a TikTok ban, arguing that it infringed on "freedom of speech."
"That said, the current situation where TikTok is allowed to operate in America, but X is not allowed to operate in China is unbalanced. Something needs to change," Musk wrote.
In a statement, Apple said it was "obligated to follow the laws in the jurisdictions where it operates," and as such, apps developed by ByteDance and its subsidiaries would no longer be available for download or updates on the US app store from Sunday.
CapCut, an AI-powered video editing service that can be connected to TikTok, has also gone offline in the US. CapCut was a staple for adding transitions, syncing sounds, or adding AI-generated effects.
Hypic combined photo editing with AI, giving users tools to enhance photo quality or transform images into AI art, including digital cartoons.
Lark
Lark is a professional collaboration platform with messaging, video calls, and cloud storage. It is comparable to Slack and other communication platforms.
Gauth
Gauth is an AI-driven app for solving academic problems. It allows users to snap pictures of homework and receive detailed solutions.
Marvel Snap
Marvel Snap is a Marvel Universe-based digital collectible card game published by Nuverse, which is owned by ByteDance.
Second Dinner, the game's developer, published a statement on X following the shutdown.
"In a surprise to Second Dinner and our publisher Nuverse, MARVEL SNAP was affected by the takedown of TikTok late on Saturday, January 18th," it said.
"MARVEL SNAP isn't going anywhere. We're actively working on getting the game up as soon as possible and will update you once we have more to share," it added.
The unprecedented shutdown has effectively blocked access to one of the world's leading social media platforms, with 170 million Americans losing access.
The shutdown came after a protracted legal battle over a law that required ByteDance to divest from its US app or see it banned.
The Supreme Court ruled to uphold the ban after TikTok challenged the law, which paved the way for Saturday's shutdown.
At around 10:30 p.m. Eastern Time, a message began appearing on users' screens: "Sorry, TikTok isn't available right now. A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the U.S. Unfortunately, that means you can't use TikTok for now."
The company also indicated that it was relying on President-elect Donald Trump to save the app.
In a post on Truth Social on Sunday, Trump said he would "issue an executive order on Monday to extend the period of time before the law's prohibitions take effect, so that we can make a deal to protect our national security."
There are a few things I usually buy at Costco for two people that I find are a great value.
Chrysa Smith
I shop at Costco once or twice a week and try to spend under $100 on each trip.
I think the Kirkland Signature cashews and chicken breasts are some of the best deals at Costco.
I always make sure we have Boston lettuce, Kerrygold Irish butter, and artisan rolls.
I'm at Costco so often that I feel like I live there.
I usually visit the wholesale retailer once β sometimes twice β a week and keep each shopping trip under $100. I love to cook for myself and my husband and find it's a great place to get all of my ingredients and other essential groceries.
Here are some of my favorite things to get at Costco. (Notably, I don't buy all of these groceries on every trip since many of them can last us more than a week.)
When I'm looking for carbs, I pick up artisan rolls.
The Kirkland Signature artisan rolls come in packs of 12.
Salma Hamze
While in Costco's bakery section, I usually pick up a 12-pack of Kirkland Signature artisan rolls for $7.
Plus, the rolls freeze well if we're not going to finish them before they start to get stale.
I top my yogurt with NuTrail nut granola.
NuTrail nut granola has a nice crunch.
Chrysa Smith
The NuTrail nut granola has the best flavor and texture. I like that the mix is smooth instead of packed with big, clunky chunks.
Plus, it's crunchy, slightly sweet, and doesn't have added sugar.
I usually pay $10 for a 22-ounce bag β about half the price of what I've seen for similar granola in regular grocery stores.
If I want even more crunch in my yogurt, I add some Kirkland Signature cashews.
I add Kirkland Signature cashews to my yogurt for even more crunch.
Chrysa Smith
I love it when my yogurt has a great crunch β to add even more, I use Kirkland Signature whole cashews with sea salt. Plus, they add protein.
I think they're a great buy at $13 for a 40-ounce bag. I won't buy cashews anywhere else.
Kerrygold Irish butter is almost always in my fridge.
I like the flavor of Kerrygold Irish butter.
Chrysa Smith
There's nothing like a roll with a smear of fresh and creamy Kerrygold Irish butter for breakfast.
This butter has a great, rich flavor. A pack of four 8-ounce sticks usually costs $15.50 at Costco and lasts through the week for straight-up eating (OK, I love my dairy), cooking, and baking.
Norwegian smoked salmon slices are a lunch staple in my house.
Smoked salmon reminds me of bagels with lox in NYC delis.
Chrysa Smith
Costco has Norwegian smoked salmon slices at $14.50 a pound, and a 12-ounce pack lasts us a whole week.
There are three different seasonings in the pack: dill, pepper, and traditional.
When I eat these on a roll with onion, tomato, and cream cheese, I'm reminded of when I'd get lunch at corner delis in New York City.
I love using Kirkland Signature organic chicken for a variety of meals.
I love making chicken-centric dinners.
Chrysa Smith
When it comes to dinner, I can't get enough chicken. So, I often pick up a pack of Kirkland Signature organic chicken breasts for about $6 a pound.
I'll either bake the breasts in a honey-Dijon sauce or slice them thin for cutlets. I also boil some of the chicken to use for making food for my dog.
A jar of Better than Bouillon lasts me a while.
Better than Bouillon is a pantry staple for me.
Chrysa Smith
I pick up Better than Bouillon roasted-chicken base at Costco anytime I run out.
Fortunately, a 21-ounce jar is only $9 and lasts me quite a while. I use a little bit of this, white wine, and lemon when making my chicken cutlets.
A bag of avocados goes a long way.
Avocadoes can be rich and creamy.
Chrysa Smith
One of my favorite ways to incorporate fresh produce into my diet is with avocados.
I add them to my lunches and salads, usually only using ΒΌ of an avocado at a time. A bag of avocadoes at Costco costs about $8 and lasts us a week or so without going bad.
I love my crunchy Boston lettuce.
I use Boston lettuce as a salad base.
Chrysa Smith
Boston lettuce, also known as butterhead lettuce, is soft, flavorful, and crunchy. I like to use this for salads and pair it with avocado, too.
A plastic, three-head clamshell of lettuce costs $7 at Costco and lasts us a whole week.
Campari tomatoes are my go-to buy during colder months.
Campari tomatoes are great on a salad.
Chrysa Smith
I often pick up a clamshell of Campari tomatoes at Costco for just over $5, especially once the season for growing them in my backyard is over.
They're flavorful and small enough that they don't feel too watery.
I find they're the perfect finishing touch for a salad drizzled with olive oil, lemon, and a sprinkle of Parmesan. (I also buy Parmesan in bulk at Costco whenever I run out!)
