A major US player has quit the race to buy TikTok
Since the inauguration, President Trump has spoken up about TikTok on several occasions, though nothing substantial followed his remarks. In a way, TikTok is in a limbo… for the moment. This period of uncertainty can be expanded, now that another key player has apparently dropped out of the race to acquire TikTok.
Reuters has some insider information: Blackstone has pulled out of a consortium that was seeking to invest in TikTok's US operations. The decision comes amid repeated delays surrounding a potential deal that has become entangled in the ongoing US-China trade negotiations. Despite the naming, Blackstone and BlackRock are separate companies that were once connected through BlackRock's early history. BlackRock was originally part of Blackstone before being spun off in 1994. Blackstone had initially planned to acquire a minority stake in TikTok's US business. The consortium, led by Susquehanna International Group and General Atlantic (both current investors in TikTok's parent company ByteDance) had emerged as the leading contender to take control of the platform's US operations. Under the proposed terms, US investors would own 80 percent of the business, with ByteDance retaining a minority stake. The deadline for ByteDance to divest TikTok's US arm has been repeatedly pushed back, leaving investors uncertain about the platform's future. Trump recently signed a third executive order extending the deadline to September 17.These extensions have drawn criticism from some lawmakers, who argue that the administration is ignoring national security risks posed by TikTok's Chinese ownership. In response to mounting pressure, ByteDance is evaluating multiple strategies, including selling or restructuring its US operations. The company, which reported $43 billion in revenue during the first quarter of this year, recently overtook Meta in quarterly earnings, according to sources.If a sale eventually goes through, the US version of TikTok would likely be owned by a joint venture between ByteDance and a group of American investors. Sources indicate TikTok is already working on a US-specific app to prepare for that possibility. Are you?
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P When Jerry pulled the Z7 backwards, I cringed. I don't put too much on these tests but it is good to see the phone won't easily bend. One of main causes of damaged to the screen comes from the inside when heat damages the board or wires. The exposed wire rubs against the back of the screen and you get a black screen. It's not the only reason for damaged screens, but it is probably responsible for many of the damages that happens out the blue. The wires are very delicate. ProMaxUltraAreBricks, 52 minutes ago Teams crashing, need to reinstall it to make it work again : ... more "OneUI is superior to OriginOS, that's a fact." Lmao fact you say.🤣🤣 No, it's not, you like it better, that's a fact, and that's perfectly fine. I wouldn't claim OriginOS is better, but for me it is, and for many others it is, while for plenty of people One UI is simply the best, it is what it is. It's completely subjective. "Teams crashing, need to reinstall it to make it work again : Sure, I can see it, weird because I use it as well and it's fine. It's likely device specific. So, while am at it, I will ask. Which vivo device did you get, and why? Did you buy it, or it's just a loaner device from someone you know? Just curious. "OriginOS 5 doesn't have a lot of customizations compared to OneUI 7.." As a long time user of it, I can tell you that's not true, you just aren't a user of Origin OS, and are used to One UI, stick to what you like, but don't tryna claim Origin OS is bad or not customizable enough, when that's clearly not true. "while Samsung one is nothing like those two." They separated it the same way, when they didn't need to and their users never wanted this and disliked it when it got introduced. Thankfully you can turn it off on both devices. DarlingYext, 2 hours ago "OriginOS is usable but nothing flagship-like" For you, for me it is the flagship... more Teams crashing, need to reinstall it to make it work again : No Vivo account should be needed to change the default launcher. "Customizations" means I should be able to remove this useless origin kit tab, I can already access it elsewhere. OriginOS 5 doesn't have a lot of customizations compared to OneUI 7, for example on the lock screen: it's always the same clock style with just 8 slightly different fonts, give me at the very least a vertical clock. And the rest is basically system-wide colors, corner radius, apps icons, and a couple of cheap 'dynamic effects'. Also, OriginOS quick settings panel when separated is looking exactly like a cheap copy of the iOS one, while Samsung one is nothing like those two. And let's not talk about "Origin island". OneUI 7 is just better in every way, unmatched customizations (especially with Goodlock modules), more features (like Routines, Dex, QuickShare...), a more complete ecosystem integration, better AI (assistant, photos)..., all working nicely out of the box. OneUI is superior to OriginOS, that's a fact. C Well Zack gym would help a little. But for a bend test you should call a Mariusz Pudzianovsky aka The Dominator and few other strongmans which would bend it in second. And from Galaxy Z series we could get Galaxy Ash series. ProMaxUltraAreBricks, 2 hours ago Currently using latest OriginOS 5 to experience what a so-called Chinese Ultra flagship is. Or... more "OriginOS is usable but nothing flagship-like" For you, for me it is the flagship experience, when I switch to any of my other phones, I miss Origin OS. "some Microsoft apps crash, like Teams (it worked for a bit)" I use Teams as well, and some other Microsoft apps, they all work perfectly. "need a Vivo account to change launcher" Not exactly rocket science to register one, takes a couple of minutes, no it doesn't require a chinese phone number. "..can't remove origin kit widgets tab from app drawer" How, why is that a problem? "notifications for some apps aren't working great" Autostart had to be enabled for them, and background power consumption management has to be put on high background power usage, which again takes a minute or so to do. "nfc issues (google wallet gym pass nfc not working)" That might be because google play services aren't updated, which you should be able to update. "not a lot customizations / can't change assistant" Not a lot of customization? On Origin OS? That's just false, you may not have found where or how to customize it, but there is a lot. "At least there is the option to have the quick settings panel to be something else than the iOS copy-pasted one. " It's nothing like iOS, and I personally prefer the notification panel to be separate from the Quick Settings. One UI also has it like that now btw. "OneUI 7 is clearly superior, none of these issues, it work out of the box and has more features." Superior TO YOU. DarlingYext, 6 hours ago "And it clearly a very subjective thing, different people have different experiences..&qu... more Currently using latest OriginOS 5 to experience what a so-called Chinese Ultra flagship is. OriginOS is usable but nothing flagship-like, after 2 weeks, I already have the following issues: - can't properly resize non Vivo widgets / can't remove origin kit widgets tab from app drawer - dark mode enabled but ugly white background on volume/quick settings panel in landscape while watching Netflix (flashbang while in the dark) - some Microsoft apps crash, like Teams (it worked for a bit) - notifications for some apps aren't working great - need a Vivo account to change launcher - nfc issues (google wallet gym pass nfc not working) - micts (circle to search) need setup again after update - dynamic island, I mean origin island, only work with some specific Chinese apps, need to change package name to something compatible with it - ai photo tools are slow and unreliable (mostly timeout error) - not a lot customizations / can't change assistant - lot of configuration needed (notifications, permissions, remove unusable Chinese bloat...) At least there is the option to have the quick settings panel to be something else than the iOS copy-pasted one. Mid-range software on flagship hardware... OneUI 7 is clearly superior, none of these issues, it work out of the box and has more features. V DarlingYext, 6 hours ago "And it clearly a very subjective thing, different people have different experiences..&qu... more To be perfectly honest, after Samsung's One UI, I think only Vivo's Origin OS and Google's UI on the Pixel would be something I would actually consider. The fluidity of the UI and multitasking on the new Vivo X Fold5 is just amazing, I wish Samsung would take inspiration from that. Vale, 6 hours ago You seem to know a lot about Samsung, do you use one? I have been using them for 4 years bot, ... more Don't bother you're not dealing with a rational person All of his comments literally only existed moments before posting. There is no supporting evidence, many even contradict testing and impartial review. You will find many are proven incorrect by this site or Google search only to be repeated Replying is incoherent click bait as he camps in ev everything Samsung Shame no fiction section. Vale, 6 hours ago That was a mistake, I wanted to write "now" not bot. I apologize for the misundersta... more "And it clearly a very subjective thing, different people have different experiences.." This, I fully agree with. For me Samsung's software isn't the best, I much prefer vivo's Origin OS, but I understand why people like One UI so much. y Very impressive for such a thin device. However, I am not optimistic about investing such a price on such a delicate new tech. Flip seems to be a better first adoption with half the price. V Vale, 6 hours ago That was a mistake, I wanted to write "now" not bot. I apologize for the misundersta... more Ieant 2000$, sorry I can't type today lol V DarlingYext, 6 hours ago Immediately calling someone a bot just because they dislike your favourite brand, not a great ... more That was a mistake, I wanted to write "now" not bot. I apologize for the misunderstanding. And it clearly a very subjective thing, different people have different experiences, look at people using iPhones, a lot of them say they are very satisfied, while others say they aren't that good. To answer your question, I'm currently using 3 phones like a maniac haha. I kept my s23 Ultra to use solely for gaming, as that takes a toll on the battery. I got the Fold 5 by mistake actually, my wife wanted to go from the iPhone 13 pro max to the 15 pro max but then reconsidered, as it was no noticeable upgrade for her. But it was too late, the phone was already ordered so we either had to accept the iPhone or choose another phone, and I chose the Fold5 for me. I was skeptical, as foldables for me seemed too fragile, but I also wanted to try one out really badly. And it worked out perfectly. The issue with Samsung (and Apple) are the atrocious cameras, so I bought a Xiaomi 14 Ultra last year, to use as a travel phone, got it at 600€ only. Great phone but crappy software and the battery doesn't last even as much as the Fold. Now I traded in the 5 to get the 7, because the issues I had with the Fold5 were all fixed for me in the 7, i.e. the thickness and cover screen. The battery lasts me all day, sometimes even 1.5 days, charges in an hour, is just great. Is it overpriced? Absolutely. But that comes down to personal choice. If Honor or Vivo would have the same software and customer support as Samsung, then I would gladly switch to them as they have better hardware, but as of now, people need to look at the complete package. For me, personally, the software experience is more important than 1-2 hours of extra battery or a better telephoto camera. But that's just me. That's why I said it's very subjective and you can't just blatantly say a brand has bad products just because you had bad experience. It's the same with everything, cars, appliances, etc. Even a 200$ Ferrari can break down, doesn't mean people won't buy them anymore kdss, 7 hours ago I don't know about other countries, but in mine you can even buy a phone displayed in the... more That's different. The ones in windows are usually regular phones or dummys. k Batteri Voltas, 6 hours ago "now they are", i said at the end of the comment, just saying there used to be varia... more And maybe there is no problem at all, but it was just photographed in a biased way. My problem is that some people here tend to take everything they see for granted in favor of their fandom, and they don't see anything, as if it doesn't exist, that shows their favorite company in a bad light. k Vale, 6 hours ago My model opens fully flat but I saw 2 of them in a store and both display models didn't o... more That's why I've said several times that I DO NOT BELIEVE either the picture with the Samsung or the picture with Honor. My initial comment was simply directed at a person who accepts the pictures against Honor as pure truth because the Chinese are bad, and the pictures of Samaung don't exist for him because only Samsung is good. D Vale, 7 hours ago I used my Fold 5 to the beach, I dropped it once in the sand, and also dropped it from chair l... more Who mentioned hikes? I know I didn't. Look dude, all that anecdotal stuff you just said is all well and good, means naff all to me though. I just heard Jerry say in this very video 'this Fold 7 still sctratches at a level 2, which means everything and anything will cause permanent marks on this inner screen surface, which inlcudes, finger nails, pocket sand, and well just about everything really'. So when it comes to risking £2000, I'll go by what he says as opposed to you 🤷♂️ Vale, 6 hours ago You seem to know a lot about Samsung, do you use one? I have been using them for 4 years bot, ... more Immediately calling someone a bot just because they dislike your favourite brand, not a great defense but good try, I guess. Anyways, you had issues with fast charging, while I had issues with slow charging, not just on Samsung devices, but anything that only had around 18W charging speeds. However my current device is 2 years old, it's a china only model, which has 80W wired, 50W wireless charging, battery health is still at 93%. Yet again, you claim Samsung is oh so reliable and everything is perfect, yet you switched out your Fold5 in 2 years or less, same with the S23 Ultra. Was there anything wrong with either of them? They should still be perfectly capable devices. "If you find it too expensive, it's not for you." It isn't too expensive, it's just too costly for what it offers, and still way too fragile, if it could justify the price it might as well be even more expensive, but it can't. If it wasn't for the removed S Pen support, same battery and charging speeds as previous models, same tiny 3x zoom sensor in that gigantic camera island and the durability concerns, then it would be fine. ? bending your ZFold7 to lay flat on the wireless charger in your Tesla will still overheat V kdss, 6 hours ago Am I to understand that the Fold 7 display and hinges on the demo phone are not used in the ph... more My model opens fully flat but I saw 2 of them in a store and both display models didn't open flat. You have to gently give them a push to open them fully so I'm not sure if those are just pre production units or what B kdss, 6 hours ago Am I to understand that the Fold 7 display and hinges on the demo phone are not used in the ph... more "now they are", i said at the end of the comment, just saying there used to be variations in demo phones. but hinge problems on demos could be from mishandling, one never knows, not gonna take a stance on either side of that
