People don't know what they don't have until you sell it to them, right? And I strongly believe that when people see that there's a version of TikTok 2.0 where they run their algorithm, they're in charge, they own themselves and parse their data and get value for it, people are going to clamor for that. . They will rush there. It's a much better model.
We could debate this all day, but then we're the ones taking the risk. We are the ones providing the money and saying this will work. ByteDance can shut it down, or they can get the money for the platform and wish us luck.
Right now, TikTok is associated with specific types of content, such as dances, silly videos, and a younger audience. Do you plan for the new version of TikTok to maintain that focus?
Well, I think the Gen Z user base is critical to stay engaged because young people create culture. And TikTok is a culture creator if there ever was one. But I would add that recent surveys show that 47 percent of Gen Zers wish it had never been invented, even though they use it several hours a day. Due to its highly addictive nature and the feeling they sometimes have after spending so much time. So let's make a healthier version where it's a super polished app, easy to use, and very similar to what it looks like now. But the users are in charge.
Do you believe that giving teens full control without a manipulative algorithm will help them reduce their screen time?
I think once you put control in the hands of individuals, people will make choices for themselves. Some will make good choices, others will make bad choices. What's really important, though, is that when you're talking about very young people, parents need to have some ability to be parents. Young people need to be guided. They need to be parented, and it is very difficult for parents to compete now [with the algorithm].
So we have to take a step back. TikTok is great. We want to keep it alive. Let's build a better version of it. But you know what: healthy teens are great too. Being a good parent is also great. Individual human rights and their protection are also great. Protecting American citizens is also great.
If TikTok's Supreme Court appeal takes some time, will you still want to buy the app even if it takes months or years?
Yes, we are ready to do this when it happens. What's a big serendipity here for me is that this legislation has happened and TikTok may be there for the taking. Because moving 170 million people to a new stack will catalyze this alternative upgraded internet very quickly. Right now one of the big problems we have is that we're debating this internet, but until there's another choice, people are kind of stuck.
I liken this to large-scale human physical migration. There are people who live in very difficult places – in the case of my ancestors there was a famine – who really want to go somewhere else. But a second condition is required, and that is that you need a place to go. At this point, people are becoming aware of the downsides of today's Internet, and that they are being taken advantage of and not rewarded appropriately or fairly. But nothing will happen unless there is an alternative and a place for them to go.
