Pinterest listed the latest attacks on diversity, equity, and inclusion as a possible business risk in its latest 10-K filing. The company wrote in its filing to investors that if its efforts around DEI “are perceived as insufficient or overdone,” then it “may not be able to attract and retain talent” and that the company […]
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TikTok only went "dark" in the US for a few hours this weekend, but that hasn't stopped rivals swooping in to court its advertisers as uncertainty lingers about the app's long-term future.
As advertisers prepared for a possible TikTok ban in the US, Pinterest circulated a pitch deck promoting the company as an alternative.
The deck linked to a hub on Pinterest's website with an offer of a limited-time incentive of bonus media — free ad space, in other words.
Pinterest also touted its creative support to help advertisers repurpose their ads for the platform and measurement services to assess campaign success.
"As major shifts take place across social platforms, many brands are developing new plans to deliver their goals," the deck said. (Business Insider obtained a copy, which can be viewed below.)
The deck cited data from the measurement firm Comscore, which said that half of TikTok's US Gen-Z audience was already on Pinterest.
Pinterest clearly has e-commerce advertisers in its sights. The deck referenced a survey conducted by the research company Reach3 that Pinterest commissioned last September. The survey found Pinterest's weekly users were "86% more likely" than weekly users of Facebook, Instagram, X, Snapchat, and TikTok to say they were ready to shop when they opened the app.
Pinterest also listed one of the benefits of advertising on its platform as being able to "reflect your company values in your media choices." That certainly feels like a shot at TikTok.
TikTok has said it has around 170 million US users. By comparison, Pinterest was estimated by the research company EMARKETER to have 85.4 million US users last year. EMARKETER pegged TikTok's 2024 ad revenues at $12.34 billion, while it estimated Pinterest pulled in around $2.69 billion.
TikTok didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. On Sunday, the company said in a statement that it would work with President Donald Trump on a solution to keep TikTok in the US.
Last week, the US Supreme Court upheld a law forcing ByteDance, the Chinese company that owns TikTok, to sell its US operations by January 19 in order to address national security concerns.
TikTok went dark for a few hours starting late Saturday ET, before returning Sunday after Trump expressed his support for the app and said he would work to limit liability for companies that helped it keep running. On Monday, Trump signed an executive order seeking to pause the ban on TikTok for 75 days.
Jim Watson/Pool/AFP via Getty Images
As of Tuesday, TikTok wasn't yet back in Apple or Google's US app stores. However, users with the app already downloaded on their phones can access the platform, and some advertisers have restarted campaigns.
Jon Molina, senior director at the digital ad agency Brainlabs, told BI on Tuesday that Brainlabs had recommended that its teams resume their TikTok activity.
"As it stands, the stay on the ban that was signed yesterday is sufficient evidence that there is still opportunity on the platform from a marketing perspective," Molina said, though he added that "anything can change within the blink of an eye."
Some other agencies are taking a more cautious approach. Assembly's EVP of brand experience, Toni Box, said the agency was in the process of pulling social media and behavioral trend data to gauge whether there were any lingering issues that might hamper users' trust and readoption of TikTok. Santini added that Assembly's TikTok rep had also warned them that the TikTok ads manager could take some time to stabilize fully.
Analysts had previously said that Meta and Google would likely be the biggest beneficiaries of a TikTok ban, with an estimated $10 billion of TikTok's US ad revenue up for the taking.
In a research note published January 15, Morgan Stanley analysts said platforms like Snap, Pinterest, and Roblox would also likely gain near-term benefits. The analysts added that those platforms would need to improve their performance and scalability and deliver a healthy relative return on ad spend for any TikTok disruption to pay off for them in the long run.
Competing to Win_ Plan With Confidence by lara o'reilly on Scribd
Jean Kang
When I graduated from college in 2014, I thought I'd finally made it. Before graduation, I landed a role in Silicon Valley and was excited to start.
Looking back now, after nearly a decade of working at companies like Meta, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Figma and hopping roles more times than I can count, I realize my early impressions were overly rosy — and a bit naive.
Silicon Valley taught me a ton and helped me boost my salary to more than I thought possible, but there are a few things I wish someone had sat me down and told me when I was fresh out of college.
These insights might've saved me from a few late-night spirals or could've helped me navigate my career a bit more strategically. They also gave me the courage to leave behind my $300,000-a-year job and build a multi-six-figure business on my terms once I learned them.
Here are five pieces of advice I wish I could've told my younger self.
I probably would've laughed if you'd told me in my early 20s that switching companies multiple times within a few years would help me stand out. I assumed staying put and showing loyalty was the "safe" path.
Yet, in Silicon Valley, some of my biggest leaps in salary, responsibility, and growth came after I decided to hop from one role to another. This was especially true during market shake-ups, like mass layoffs.
When teams are rebuilding, they hire for high-impact roles that are often critical to moving the needle. If you're still employed and apply for one, it sends a loud and clear message: "I'm confident, I'm valuable, and I'm here to make a difference."
If I'd known that earlier, I would've pounced on opportunities sooner rather than waiting and hoping things would improve at a company that no longer fit.
I used to think personal branding was a bit fluffy, but just under two years ago, I saw a void on LinkedIn for real, honest career stories. I started sharing my insights — what it's like to be a program manager, the differences between project and product roles, and how to combat imposter syndrome — and people cared. Before I knew it, I had tens of thousands and now over 160,000 followers across LinkedIn, Instagram, and my newsletter.
My personal brand served as a jumping board for lucrative opportunities and increased my confidence. Brand sponsors started reaching out. Clients wanted me as a career coach. I realized that your name could carry weight outside your company — and that's crucial when layoffs hit, or you're considering going solo.
Had I started building my brand earlier, I could've leveraged it to negotiate better offers and land roles that excited me and made me feel less chained to any employer's fate.
For the first few years, I beat myself up for not having a linear career path. I tried sales, account management, customer success, and program management. While it felt like I was throwing stuff at the wall and hoping something stuck, something magical happened.
Those pivots gave me a fuller understanding of how companies operate, what kind of work lit me up, and where I could deliver unique value.
Silicon Valley rewards curiosity. When I realized that program management was my zone of genius, my diverse skill set made me a stronger candidate for all sorts of roles.
If someone had told me early on that it's perfectly fine — even advantageous — to experiment, I wouldn't have wasted energy feeling guilty about my "lack of focus." Instead, I'd have embraced my pivots as a strategy to discover my impact.
Getting starstruck by big brand logos, flashy products, and employee perks is easy. I thought working at dream companies would solve all my problems and set me up for steady career growth.
Over time, I realized that your immediate environment — your manager and your direct team — plays a far bigger role in your day-to-day happiness and long-term development than the company logo on your résumé.
A great manager who champions your ideas, respects your time, and encourages growth can make an imperfect organization feel worth it. Conversely, a manager who sees you as a cog in the machine or doesn't invest in your potential can make a dream company feel like a nightmare. I've now experienced both.
If I'd known earlier how critical the right boss is, I would've factored that into my decision-making more heavily, maybe asked more pointed questions in interviews, or trusted my gut when something felt off.
Silicon Valley loves to hype "dream jobs" — the unicorn startups and tech giants everyone would love to join. I'm grateful I got to experience some of those "it" companies firsthand. For a while, it was exhilarating, but over time, I learned that no matter how cool the company or how impressive the perks are, there might come a day when you wake up and think, is this really it?
You may find yourself staying late to meet arbitrary deadlines, supporting products you're not passionate about, or feeling disconnected from the outcomes. That doesn't make you ungrateful; it makes you human.
Recognizing that even "perfect" roles can lose their sparkle gave me relief. This realization was a big reason I eventually left corporate life behind.
I don't regret my time in Silicon Valley. It taught me incredible lessons, gave me the financial runway to start my own business, and connected me with brilliant people, but knowing these five things up front would've saved me from second-guessing myself, feeling guilty about not having a perfectly linear path, and putting all my self-worth into a job title.
Today, as a career coach, creator, and solopreneur who's replaced and surpassed her Big Tech salary, I can say that Silicon Valley is still a place of immense possibility — but go in with open eyes.
Jean Kang is the founder and CEO of Path to PM and a LinkedIn Learning Instructor who is paving the way for future program managers.
Chroma, a startup building a new type of audiovisual entertainment for mobile devices, has been sold. The company, which had financial backing from Twitter and Medium co-founder Biz Stone as well as Pinterest co-founder Evan Sharp, is headed to London-based audio technology company Bronze, an AI music startup. Founded by record producer Lex Dromgoole, who’s […]
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