The TikTok Flip-Flop

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Daily – "The TikTok Flip-Flop"

Episode Information:

• Title: The TikTok Flip-Flop
• Release Date: January 20, 2025
• Hosts: Michael Barbaro and Sabrina Tavernise
• Description: An in-depth exploration of the unprecedented ban and subsequent reinstatement of TikTok in the United States, examining the political maneuvers, legal battles, and international implications surrounding one of the world's most popular social media platforms.

---

1. Introduction to the TikTok Ban

Sabrina Tavernise opens the episode by highlighting the sudden and dramatic nature of TikTok's brief disappearance from the U.S. digital landscape.

• [00:52] Sabrina Tavernise: "For a national ban to take effect."

Listeners are immediately immersed in the chaos experienced by millions of TikTok users as the app abruptly went dark, leading to a surge of farewell videos and users scrambling to alternative platforms.

---

2. The Sudden Ban and Immediate Aftermath

Sapna Maheshwari, a TikTok expert, provides a detailed account of the events leading up to and following the ban.

• [02:09] Sapna Maheshwari: "Users of TikTok braced themselves. The US government ban that's been talked about for months was finally here."

As TikTok ceased operations, users expressed their dismay through emotional videos:

• [00:32] TikTok User: "Well, this might actually be it. My last ever TikTok video. It has been fun here."
• [01:02] TikTok User: "I'm really gonna miss it. And I'm really gonna miss you."

The outage caused widespread panic, with users flocking to other platforms like Instagram Reels and the new Chinese app, RedNote, in a desperate attempt to preserve their social presence.

• [03:07] Sapna Maheshwari: "It was like digital refugees just trying to figure out where do we go to post now that this app that we use so much is suddenly gone."

---

3. Legal Foundations of the Ban

Sabrina Tavernise delves into the legislative background that facilitated the TikTok ban, emphasizing the role of Congress and the Supreme Court.

• [04:32] Sapna Maheshwari: "For years, lawmakers have had these national security concerns around TikTok... This is the first time they really passed a law that was going to do something about it."

The pivotal moment came when the Supreme Court unanimously upheld the government's authority to enforce the ban:

• [05:28] Sapna Maheshwari: "The Supreme Court decided unanimously that the government had the right to implement this law and to ban TikTok if it didn't sell."

---

4. Trump's Unexpected Support for TikTok

In a surprising twist, Sapna Maheshwari explains how former President Donald Trump shifted his stance to support TikTok's continued operation in the U.S.

• [09:26] TikTok User (Trump): "I could have banned TikTok. I had it banned just about. I could have gotten it done, but I said, you know what? I'll leave."

This change was partly influenced by conservative billionaire Jeff Yass, who holds a significant stake in ByteDance, TikTok's parent company.

• [09:01] Sapna Maheshwari: "Jeff Yass... owns about 15% of ByteDance shares. So he has this big stake in the future of TikTok."

Trump's newfound advocacy led to a surge in conservative engagement on TikTok:

• [10:17] Sapna Maheshwari: "He joins TikTok itself and becomes this huge hit in about June of last year."

---

5. Potential Buyers and the Algorithm Quandary

The discussion shifts to the complexities of selling TikTok, particularly concerning its proprietary algorithm, which is central to the app's success.

• [14:06] Sapna Maheshwari: "TikTok's algorithm is what makes it what it is... It’s really unclear if that's for sale."

Potential buyers like Elon Musk and Frank McCourt have shown interest, but disagreements over the inclusion of the algorithm complicate negotiations.

• [15:04] Sapna Maheshwari: "Frank McCourt... wants to buy TikTok without the algorithm... He's offered about $20 billion, which some say undervalues TikTok."

---

6. Trump's Negotiation Tactics and Political Maneuvering

As the inauguration approaches, Trump positions himself as TikTok's savior, engaging directly with both American and Chinese leaders.

• [16:50] Sapna Maheshwari: "Trump has invited the CEO of TikTok to his inauguration, and the Chinese vice president is also attending."

This maneuver underscores Trump's unique ability to navigate contradictory roles, maintaining his anti-China stance while advocating for TikTok's preservation.

• [17:15] Sapna Maheshwari: "Trump wants to be seen as the savior of TikTok, the person behind bringing this app to Americans and giving them something that brings them joy from day one of his presidency."

---

7. Current Status and Future Implications

As of the recording, TikTok has been reinstated, with Trump taking credit for reviving the app:

• [21:11] TikTok User: "And as of today, TikTok is back."
• [21:23] TikTok User: "I'll do to win an election? And we went on TikTok."
• [21:37] TikTok User: "So I like TikTok. I like it. I like it."

Sapna Maheshwari highlights the ambiguity surrounding the future of TikTok and the broader U.S.-China relationship:

• [19:38] Sapna Maheshwari: "If TikTok does go away, what does that mean for the future of the US and China relationship?"

This situation exemplifies the delicate balance between national security concerns and the cultural significance of global platforms like TikTok.

---

8. Conclusion and Broader Context

The episode concludes with a reflection on the historical significance of TikTok's ban and reinstatement, marking a pivotal moment in U.S.-China relations and the influence of social media in global politics.

• [19:48] Sabrina Tavernise: "It's incredible to think that this app... may also be remembered as a real turning point in an increasingly fraught relationship between the US and China."

---

Notable Quotes with Timestamps:

• [00:32] TikTok User: "Well, this might actually be it. My last ever TikTok video. It has been fun here."
• [05:55] Sabrina Tavernise: "TikTok said from when this legislation was first introduced that they would beat it."
• [09:26] TikTok User (Trump): "I could have banned TikTok... but I'll leave."
• [15:56] Sabrina Tavernisi: "Wow. So the algorithm is critical to the value of the company..."
• [21:11] TikTok User: "And as of today, TikTok is back."

---

Implications:

• Political Dynamics: Trump's support for TikTok showcases the unpredictable nature of political alliances and the influence of individual leaders on major tech platforms.

• U.S.-China Relations: The TikTok saga underscores the deep-seated tensions between the two superpowers, highlighting issues of data security, intellectual property, and cultural influence.

• Tech Industry Impact: The uncertainty surrounding TikTok's future reflects broader challenges faced by tech companies operating in a politically volatile environment, emphasizing the need for robust legal and strategic frameworks.

---

Produced by: Eric Krupke, Diana Wynne, Michael Simon Johnson, and Mary Wilson
Edited by: Brendan Klingenberg and Mark George with assistance from Maria Byrne
Original Music by: Alicia Ba? Itup, Rowan Nimisto, and Marion Lozano
Engineered by: Chris Wood
Theme Music by: Jim Runberg and Ben Landsberg of Wonderly
Special Thanks: Aaron Boxerman

---

This episode of The Daily offers a comprehensive analysis of the TikTok ban's intricate web of legalities, political strategies, and international relations, providing listeners with a nuanced understanding of one of the most significant tech controversies of our time.

Transcript

[Sponsor]

This podcast is supported by nrdc. We must fight the Trump administration's assault on our environment. The Natural Resources Defense Council is fighting in and out of court to protect public health, the environment, and climate progress from Trump's Project 2025 agenda. We've done it before, filing over 160 lawsuits during his first disastrous term and winning almost 90% of resolved cases. We need your help to do it again. Support our work to safeguard our planet. Donate [e-mail] thedaily all gifts matched for a limited time.

[TikTok User]

Well, this might actually be it. My last ever TikTok video. It has been fun here.

[Sabrina Tavernisi]

From the New York Times. I'm Sabrina Tavernisi, and this is the Daily.

[TikTok User]

Well, guys, this might be the end of an era.

[Sabrina Tavernisi]

Over the past few weeks, users of the popular video app TikTok braced themselves.

[TikTok User]

I made so many friends and memories on here.

I'mma miss you guys so much.

[Sabrina Tavernisi]

And I'm really gonna miss it. And I'm really gonna miss you. For a national ban to take effect.

[Sapna Maheshwari]

Oh, no.

[Sabrina Tavernisi]

It's actually going. What the.

[Sapna Maheshwari]

I've had that since I was, like, 10.

[Sabrina Tavernisi]

This weekend it did, and the app went dark.

[Sapna Maheshwari]

Say bye. Hopefully we have a miracle and we get to keep TikTok, but it's not.

[Sabrina Tavernisi]

Looking good for us. But less than 24 hours later, it came back, crediting Donald Trump with flicking the switch.

[Sapna Maheshwari]

Thank you, soon to be President Trump.

[TikTok User]

I know.

[Sapna Maheshwari]

I'm happy to be back.

[TikTok User]

I'm sure a lot of you guys are as well. I love you guys and I will see you in the next one.

[Sabrina Tavernisi]

Today, my colleague, Sapna Maheshwari on the biggest social media ban in American history and whether Trump can actually stop. It's Monday, January 20th.

[Kevin Roos]

Oh, my God.

[TikTok User]

Thank you.

[Sabrina Tavernisi]

Sapna. Welcome back to the Daily.

[Sapna Maheshwari]

Thanks for having me.

[Sabrina Tavernisi]

So we're talking on Sunday afternoon and this morning, millions of Americans woke up to find that TikTok, the video platform with 170 million users, was no longer working. The US government ban that's been talked about for months was finally here. But then, as we were preparing to tape this episode with you, the app went back online. You are a TikTok expert. Help us understand what's going on here.

[Sapna Maheshwari]

So, yes, it was a huge deal last night. When TikTok went dark, it stopped working for people. Nobody knew what was happening. And you saw people posting tearful goodbye videos at first. Then you couldn't see anything. You saw the App Store just start changing. People started rushing to this new Chinese app called RedNote. You saw people posting to Instagram, on Instagram, reels on blue sky, just turning to everywhere they could to share how stunned and shocked they were, essentially fleeing.

[Sabrina Tavernisi]

The app because they could no longer post there.

[Sapna Maheshwari]

Yeah, exactly. It was like digital refugees just trying to figure out where do we go to post now that this app that we use so much is suddenly gone? But then 12 hours, that's how long this lasted. Do you know how stressed I've been? Around 12:30pm today, the app came back. TikTok's back. But, yeah, if you haven't heard, we're back now. Just ignore the last week of everything I've been saying. And people have been freaking out. They're really excited. And mind you, I slept through it, but the situation is really fluid. We don't know what's going to happen. We're talking early afternoon Sunday, and when I wake up tomorrow, I really don't know what the situation will be.

[Sabrina Tavernisi]

Okay, so let's talk about how we got here. And I'll remind listeners that TikTok is owned by ByteDance, which is a Chinese company. It had tried to fight the ban all the way to the Supreme Court. Tell us what happened.

[Sapna Maheshwari]

Right, so last year, Congress passed this law saying that TikTok had to be sold by ByteDance, their owner, to a non Chinese company. And this law offered this deadline to make sure that Byted's end. TikTok did. It said it has to be sold by January 19th, or some sort of talks have to be underway or the company will face a ban in the United States.

[Sabrina Tavernisi]

And what was the thinking behind making it sell the company?

[Sapna Maheshwari]

So for years, lawmakers have had these national security concerns around TikTok. They're kind of in two camps. One, they've said that US user data could be handed over to the Chinese government based on laws that apply to companies in China. The other piece of it is lawmakers have said that there's a chance that TikTok could spread Chinese propaganda to millions of Americans without their knowledge. And the government's had these concerns for years, dating back to at least 2020. And this is the first time they really passed a law that was going to do something about it.

[Sabrina Tavernisi]

And the company, as I remember from your telling, actually objected on the basis of free speech, that free speech meant that it should be allowed to continue operating. But on Friday, as you're saying, the Supreme Court actually decided against the company and upheld the ban. Which of course, brings us to the situation we found ourselves in this morning.

[Sapna Maheshwari]

That's right. TikTok said from when this legislation was first introduced that they would beat it, that it was unconstitutional, that it violated the free speech rights of TikTok users in America. And they gambled all the way to the Supreme Court. And astoundingly, the Supreme Court decided on Friday unanimously that the government had the right to implement this law and to ban TikTok if it didn't sell.

[Sabrina Tavernisi]

And so what happened after the court made that decision?

[Sapna Maheshwari]

The court comes out with this decision on Friday, January 17th. This law is supposed to go into effect two days later on January 19th. So Saturday night, users of TikTok start seeing this pop up message appear and it says that specifically, we are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution.

[Sabrina Tavernisi]

So TikTok is saying that Trump is going to fix their situation, which is kind of confusing because Trump was against TikTok in his first administration.

[Sapna Maheshwari]

That's right. This is a complete turnaround from how Trump felt about TikTok in 2020.

[TikTok User]

We're looking at TikTok. We may be banning TikTok, we may be doing some other things or a couple of options.

[Sapna Maheshwari]

So if you rewind your memories back then, Trump was very anti TikTok.

[TikTok User]

And here's the deal. I don't mind if, whether it's Microsoft or somebody else, a big company, a secure company, very, very American company, buy it.

[Sapna Maheshwari]

And he said that it needed to be owned by American companies and he tried to ban it.

[TikTok User]

It can't be controlled for security reasons by China. Too big, too invasive and it can't be.

[Sapna Maheshwari]

And he brought up the same national security concerns that we've heard from lawmakers recently. They were really focused on the data. He said Beijing could find a way to get us user data from TikTok, and that was unacceptable. So he wrote this executive order trying to ban the company, but it actually didn't hold up in federal courts. They said essentially he didn't have the authority to ban TikTok at the time. But this idea never went away. And his efforts actually gave rise to this law, law several years later that we're looking at now that basically demands this sale or ban of TikTok.

[Sabrina Tavernisi]

Okay, so Trump actually inspired the law we're talking about today.

[Sapna Maheshwari]

That's right. So this law was inspired by Trump and the company was really caught flat footed. It had been hearing talk of a ban for years and it had thought it was in pretty good shape heading into the new year. They had fought back a sort of ban effort the year before President Biden joined TikTok. Around the time of the Super Bowl. But then this law passes, and the company. Company scrambles. It's trying to figure out how to protect its huge operation in the US Its thousands of employees. The US Is its biggest market. And they think of Trump, they think of him as someone who, despite his efforts in 2020, might actually be willing to go to bat for the company this time.

[Sabrina Tavernisi]

But why is that, though? I mean, Trump, again, we've said, was the original naysayer on TikTok.

[Sapna Maheshwari]

Right. So Trump had seemed to kind of changed his tune on TikTok. He'd spent a lot of time in the past bashing one of the company's big competitors, which is Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram. And clearly, President Biden was willing to sign this law, and the company was thinking, you know, maybe you should try its luck with a new Republican nominee.

[Sabrina Tavernisi]

So they decide to go after Trump. How do they woo him?

[Sapna Maheshwari]

So the big player here is this conservative billionaire donor named Jeff Yass. He's a big Republican, and it. It turns out he owns about 15% of ByteDance shares. So he has this big stake in the future of TikTok. And we know that he had talks with Donald Trump at some point in March of last year. Around that time, Trump goes on CNBC, and he's got a different message about TikTok.

[TikTok User]

I could have banned TikTok. I had it banned just about. I could have gotten it done, but I said, you know what? But I'll leave.

[Sapna Maheshwari]

He's saying, you know, yes, I'm aware of the security risks, but it shouldn't be banned.

[TikTok User]

The thing I don't like is that without TikTok, you can make Facebook bigger. And I consider Facebook to be an enemy of the people.

[Sapna Maheshwari]

And, you know, maybe there's another solution. And I don't want Facebook's business to really benefit from the loss of TikTok.

[TikTok User]

Frankly. There are a lot of people on TikTok that love it. There are a lot of young kids on TikTok who will go crazy without it.

[Sapna Maheshwari]

And it's this really big change from what we'd seen in the past.

[Sabrina Tavernisi]

Okay, so this was the moment of Trump's full conversion to TikTok.

[Sapna Maheshwari]

Yeah. And it leads to kind of the summer of Trump on TikTok. As I thought of it.

[TikTok User]

The President is now on TikTok, my honor.

[Sapna Maheshwari]

He joins TikTok itself and becomes this huge hit in about June of last year.

[TikTok User]

I love no tax on tips, by the way. No Tax on Tips.

[Sapna Maheshwari]

He's a total sensation. He got 3 million followers in a single day. POV 100 days left before President Trump delivers another knockout. It goes way past Biden, who's the nominee at the time.

[TikTok User]

We're nation in decline. Nobody is safe. Absolutely nobody. We're going to be a strong nation again.

[Sapna Maheshwari]

We're going to be and a bunch of his family members joined TikTok and it feels like there's this turn on TikTok where conservatives see this as an invitation for them to join TikTok and to start making accounts and posting there.

[TikTok User]

You got to get out and vote. We want to save our country. We're the only one going to save it. That other group of people, they're going to destroy our country. We can't let that happen. Go out and vote for Trump.

[Sabrina Tavernisi]

So fast forward to November. Trump wins. TikTok looks pretty smart in all of this wooing. And now here we are on the eve of Trump's inauguration, and everything's really up in the air with the app. If we're looking at the letter of the law, what are Trump's options here?

[Sapna Maheshwari]

So legally, there's not a lot of options. This law was designed to get ByteDance and TikTok to sell, and they basically had nine months to get this done or to start talks. And it seems like there's nothing on the horizon. But there is a part of this law, a sort of magic button, a piece of the law that says that he can push all of this out by 90 days if Congress approves, as long as there's a qualified buyer, basically someone who's willing to buy the company. And real talks are underway. And so there's a chance that maybe this could push out the ban and keep it from ever happening. But of course, that requires a buyer.

[Sabrina Tavernisi]

We'll be right back.

[Sponsor]

This episode is supported by Wealthfront. Your cash could earn 4% APY from partner banks until the moment you need it, with free instant withdrawals to eligible accounts every day. Go to wealthfront.com thedaily for a free $50 bonus with a $500 deposit when you open your first cash account. That's wealthfront.com the daily this has been a paid ad from Wealthfront Cash account offered by Wealthfront Brokerage, LLC member FINRA SIPC. Wealthfront Brokerage isn't a bank. The APY on cash deposits as of December 27, 2024 is representative, subject to change, and requires no minimum. Funds in the cash account are swept to partner banks, where they earn a variable apy.

[TikTok User]

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Hi, I'm Josh Haner and I'm a staff photographer at the New York Times covering climate change. For years we've sort of imagined this picture of a polar bear floating on a piece of ice. Those have been the IM associated with climate change. My challenge is to find stories that show you how climate change is affecting our world right now. If you want to support the kind of journalism that we're working on here on the Climate and Environment desk at the New York Times, please subscribe on our website or our app.

[Sabrina Tavernisi]

So Sapna Trump says he's going to be TikTok savior. He's going to kind of negotiate a deal. What do we know about prospective buyers?

[Sapna Maheshwari]

So TikTok's big problem for selling this whole past year has been this big question, which is what exactly is for sale? And let me explain that a little more. So basically, TikTok's algorithm is what makes it what it is, and that's the technology that fuels the videos that people see when they open the app. The magic of seeing something that is suddenly so funny or just totally suited to your interests. The TikTokiness of the app is the algorithm, and it's really unclear if that's for sale. And that's because TikTok's been saying for the better part of a year that it can sell, largely because it's not quite sure that China would allow it to. And that's because in 2020, China put out this list of technology that can't be exported without the government's permission. And it seems like the TikTok algorithm is a part of that list.

[Sabrina Tavernisi]

So, given all of that, has anyone actually shown up to buy it?

[Sapna Maheshwari]

So despite this for sale sign on TikTok from last year, there hasn't been a whole lot of activity. But some names have been floated. There's been speculation that Elon Musk, who bought Twitter, might have the money to buy it. And then there's this billionaire named Frank McCourt who used to own the Dodgers. And he said he's interested in buying TikTok, too. He's teamed up with people like Mr. Wonderful of Shark Tank.

[Sabrina Tavernisi]

Okay.

[Sapna Maheshwari]

And he said that he wants to buy TikTok without the algorithm.

[Sabrina Tavernisi]

And what does that mean?

[Sapna Maheshwari]

Basically, he thinks he'll be able to buy it and find a way to recreate sort of the engine behind it, but he really wants to get access to the users, and he's offered a pretty low price for it, about $20 billion. A lot of people have found that to be maybe not the most serious offer for what TikTok could really be worth, which some analysts have said, you know, around $100 billion or more.

[Sabrina Tavernisi]

Wow. So the algorithm is critical to the value of the company, and we still, at this point, don't whether China is willing to let go of it.

[Sapna Maheshwari]

That's right. It's been the huge question mark hanging over this from the very beginning, and there has been a lot of signaling happening. And this is where it's gotten really interesting. The CEO of TikTok, Sho choose has said he wants to figure something out. And Trump posted something last week, the same day of the Supreme Court ruling, where he said he'd just gotten off the phone with President Xi Jinping from China, saying that they had a long discussion and TikTok was on the list of things that they want to solve together. We're also seeing that Trump has developed a little bit of a relationship with the CEO of TikTok. He's invited him to the inauguration, and the Chinese vice president is also attending the inauguration.

[Sabrina Tavernisi]

Sumner, what is that? What is Trump doing there? I mean, inviting the CEO of TikTok to attend his inauguration?

[Sapna Maheshwari]

I mean, it seems to be a clear sign of support for TikTok from this public statements that Trump has been making in the past week. He wants to be seen as the savior of TikTok, the person behind bringing this app to Americans and. And giving them something that, you know, brings them joy from day one of his presidency.

[Sabrina Tavernisi]

Okay, so both sides here are really signaling that they want a deal, Trump and China. But each side seems to have a different vision of what a potential fix through that deal would be. Right. Like for China, presumably, a deal might be okay if it didn't include the algorithm.

[Sapna Maheshwari]

That's right. And I mean, it really raises the question of what else could be involved in these negotiations. I mean, up until now, the positions have been pretty clear. No export of the algorithm. Otherwise, no TikTok in the US and so what kinds of elements could be brought into this negotiation, into this discussion, to get TikTok running in the US again. We really don't know.

[Sabrina Tavernisi]

Does Trump have any other tools in his toolbox?

[Sapna Maheshwari]

There's so many legal questions around what he could actually do. I mean, just to remind you, this is a law passed by Congress, signed by the president and now upheld by every justice on the Supreme Court. So this is going to be a little bit of a pressure test of the US Government in the coming days. And Trump has been posting online even today about a sale, but it's really unclear what the specifics might be and whether it would actually comply with the law. Trump has said that he could issue an executive order that basically delays the federal ban while he tries to negotiate some sort of a deal. Experts I've spoken with aren't even sure if that holds up legally. Already you're seeing some dissent among senators in Congress who feel that, you know, Apple, Google, tech companies should be helping to uphold this ban. So ultimately, I mean, this was done by design. The lawmakers who wrote this law wanted something bulletproof. They wanted something that couldn't be wiggled out of, and they wrote a law that they believed really served those ends. And now we're going to see, you know, how can this actually stand up if the President has decided he may not like this law?

[Sabrina Tavernisi]

So, Sapna, what's the future of this? Because on the one hand, you have Trump about to take office and you know, he's preparing to bring a bunch of tariffs, it seems like down on China's head. On the other hand, you have Trump talking about, about saving an app that the whole U.S. establishment, from Congress to the Supreme Court, has determined is a threat to our national security. So how's Trump gonna thread the needle on this?

[Sapna Maheshwari]

I mean, the future of this app is still so up in the air. Just in the time that we've been talking Tick Tock, that's now offering a pop up message that's thanking Trump for saving the app.

[Sabrina Tavernisi]

Oh, my goodness. So that's new from when we started.

[Sapna Maheshwari]

Recording, literally in the time that we've been talking. And we really just don't know what's going to happen this week. And this does feel like quintessential Trump. Welcome back to the Trump administration. He is the rare politician that can kind of hold a contradiction like this. Look what he did in 2020. Look what he's doing now. For so many TikTok users, they don't care about the China of it all. They, they want the app back. The last 12 hours have been really hard for a lot of them, and they're hoping that it doesn't go away again. But it also raises this other big question, which is, you know, if TikTok does go away, what does that mean for the future of the US and China relationship? Two countries that rely on each other so much. It's incredible to think that this app, which up until now has been known for dances and recipes and fun and entertainment, may also be remembered as a real turning point in an increasingly fraught relationship between the US And China.

[Sabrina Tavernisi]

Sapna, thank you.

[Sapna Maheshwari]

Thank you.

[Sabrina Tavernisi]

I hope the news doesn't keep going for you. I hope you have some of your Sunday.

[Sapna Maheshwari]

I'm not counting on it.

[TikTok User]

And as of today, TikTok is back.

[Sabrina Tavernisi]

On Sunday evening, Trump took credit for the ban being lifted in a speech in Washington, D.C. can you believe what.

[TikTok User]

I'll do to win an election? And we went on TikTok.

[Sabrina Tavernisi]

In the speech, he bragged about his popularity on the app and suggested that the saga was now settled.

[TikTok User]

So I like TikTok. I like it. I like it. I had a slightly good experience, wouldn't you say?

[Sabrina Tavernisi]

We'll be right back.

[Sponsor]

This episode is supported by Wealthfront. Your cash could earn 4% APY from partner banks until the moment you need it, with free instant withdrawals to eligible accounts every day. Go to wealthfront.comthedaily for a free $50 bonus with a $500 deposit when you open your first cash account. That's wealthfront.comthedaily this has been a paid ad from Wealthfront Cash account offered by Wealthfront Brokerage, LLC, member FINRA SIPC. Wealthfront Brokerage isn't a bank. The APY on cash deposits as of December 27, 2024, is representative, subject to change, and requires no minimum. Funds in the cash account are swept to partner banks, where they earn a variable apy.

[Kevin Roos]

I'm Kevin Roos. And I'm Casey Newton. We're the hosts of Hard Fork, a show from the New York Times. Casey, you and I have covered the tech industry for, like, the last decade, and it really feels like Silicon Valley is shifting now toward these new ideas like crypto and the metaverse and AI. It feels like a real turning point. We're going to talk about these stories. We're going to bring in other journalists, newsmakers, whoever else is involved in building this future, to explain to us what's changing and why it all matters. Listen to Hard Fork wherever you get your podcasts.

[Sabrina Tavernisi]

Here's what else you should know. Today, a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas took effect on Sunday. As part of it, three Israeli women were released from captivity in Gaza and reunited with family members in Israel, the first hostages to be released as part of the first stage of the deal, the hostages were seen being handed over from the Red Cross to Israeli troops. They then had emotional reunions with their families at an Israeli hospital. The start of the initial phase of the deal was delayed by almost three hours to 11:15am local time after Israel said it had not formally received the names of the first three hostages to be released. The corresponding release of 90 Palestinian prisoners, mostly women and minors, took place after midnight on Monday in the West Bank. In Gaza, Palestinians honked car horns and blasted music to celebrate and began returning to their homes all across the enclave. Today's episode was produced by Eric Krupke, Diana Wynne, Michael Simon Johnson and and Mary Wilson. It was edited by Brendan Klingenberg and Mark George with help from Maria Byrne, contains original music by Alicia Ba? Itup, Rowan Nimisto and Marion Lozano, and was engineered by Chris Wood. Our theme music is by Jim Runberg and Ben Landsberg of Wonderly. Special thanks to Aaron Boxerman. That's it for the Daily I'm Sabrina Tavernisi. See you tomorrow.

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