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ByteDance has created and accumulated numerous apps throughout their relatively short history– with the two most notable being TikTok and CapCut.
It’s well-known that TikTok derives its concept and algorithm from its predecessor Music.ly, which they bought for $1 billion from Chinese entrepreneur Alex Zhu on Nov. 10, 2017– over three years after its launch.
By this point Music.ly had hit #1 in Apple’s App Store and was well-established through its surplus of users posting short lip-sync videos. ByteDance attempted to create their own version of the app for Chinese users named Douyin, which found decent success. As a result, the company was compelled to make a similar app for foreign audiences, leading to the birth of TikTok.
On Aug. 2, 2018, ByteDance merged Music.ly with TikTok, where it would expand from lip-syncing content to a new variety of 60-second videos, ranging from cooking to dancing.
TikTok would spend over a year garnering users and building its reputation as a new social media platform, but would soon open the gates to a continuous influx of lawsuits that continue to impact the app and company.
In 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, COVID, TikTok skyrocketed. With millions stuck at home, adults, teens and children alike looked to the app for any form of entertainment. This would create government concern regarding the app, bringing a wave of investigations and lawsuits as the decade began.
In July 2020 India banned the app, along with other Chinese apps, in an attempt to retaliate against China. Former president Donald Trump would follow, stating his consideration to ban the app as a result of China’s reaction to the COVID virus.
This news made waves, with countless individuals and corporations concerned about the future of the app. The platform became increasingly useful for fashion, music and the entertainment industry as a whole.
Though Trump would place an order demanding that ByteDance separate itself from TikTok in the United States, nothing ultimately came of the order.
In December 2021, however, concern regarding the app’s effect on teens brought new attention to the app. Reports of increased self-harm and eating disorders from the Wall Street Journal would cause the app to impose and enforce new rules regarding harmful and false content in February 2022.
A year later, the White House would take measures to ensure the app be removed from all government-issued devices out of fear that the app was sharing sensitive data with China’s government.
Though President Joe Biden originally pledged not to ban the app, the House of Representatives ban-or-sell bill on TikTok would ultimately prove that he did not keep his word. This bill gives the app the opportunity to remain in the country– as long as it’s sold to an American company.
Otherwise, TikTok will be banned.
On Dec. 6, 2024, the federal appeals court maintained that the law attempting to ban TikTok is indeed constitutional, leading to Trump asking the Supreme Court to hold off on banning the app on the basis of wanting to resolve the dispute on his own (when he returns to office).
Finally, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) held a hearing regarding the law on Jan. 10, 2025, standing their ground on the attempt to ban the app.
According to the oral argument from the hearing, TikTok’s lawyer Noel Francisco stated that the app would shut down on Jan. 19, 2025.
Following reports of a possible TikTok ban, individuals began flocking to the app Xiaohongshu, or RedNote in English, in an attempt to continue exhibiting their right to free speech online.
People like Mr. Beast, Elon Musk and Larry Ellison offered to pitch in and buy out the app in order to preserve its existence in the United States, but Yiming consistently denied the offers or lacked commentary regarding them.
Hours ahead of the announced ban time, TikTok shut down for American users with a sole message left behind.
“Sorry, TikTok isn’t available right now,” the app read. “A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the U.S. Unfortunately, that means you can’t use TikTok for now.”
Yet to the joy of its users, the app would become available within hours of its ban, leaving a new message, thanking Trump for his interference.
“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 following its return. “It’s a strong stand for the First Amendment and against arbitrary censorship. We will work with President Trump on a long-term solution that keeps TikTok in the United States.”
This might not last long, though, as the ban has only been postponed for 75 days.
Despite his original desire to ban the app, Trump has seemingly grown fond of it– likely due to its economic contribution. TikTok has reportedly contributed $24.4 billion to U.S. GDP, making its existence on the app store desirable.
Though its future remains uncertain, TikTok will continue to push back against the ban and attempt to remain usable while cooperating with the government.
