TikTok

We take Acquired to the Old Town Road to cover the amazing story behind the biggest global sensation of 2019 — and the highest valued private startup in the world — TikTok. How did a mid-30 year old UX architect at enterprise software giant SAP wind up creating Gen Z’s favorite social app that’s now rivaling Instagram in global MAU? Why is a 2017 merger of two Chinese companies being branded a US national security threat and retroactively placed under review by CFIUS? And perhaps most importantly, why is TikTok such an important product & technology innovation that all of us should be learning from? Tune in for all the answers!Sponsors:Statsig: }https://bit.ly/acquiredstatsig24Vanta: }https://bit.ly/acquiredvantaCrusoe: }https://bit.ly/acquiredcrusoeCarve Outs:Ben: Track 34 on Ghosts IV by Nine Inch Nails: }https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XF_ceFugJjQ David: Nintendo Switch Lite }https://www.nintendo.com/switch/lite/ and Knives Out }https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGqiHJTsRkQ  Sources: }https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/18/technology/tiktok-alex-zhu-interview.html  }https://www.reuters.com/article/us-bytedance-tiktok-exclusive/exclusive-chinas-bytedance-moves-to-ringfence-its-tiktok-app-amid-u-s-probe-sources-idUSKBN1Y10OH  }https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/10/10/arts/TIK-TOK.html?action=click&module=RelatedLinks&pgtype=Article }https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/19/style/high-school-tiktok-clubs.html?action=click&module=RelatedLinks&pgtype=Article }https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/03/technology/tiktok-facebook-youtube.html?action=click&module=RelatedLinks&pgtype=Article }https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/02/business/china-toutiao-censorship.html }https://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/17/business/media/a-social-network-frequented-by-children-tests-the-limits-of-online-regulation.htmlhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTyg2E44pBAhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/keepsilence/ }https://www.vox.com/culture/2018/12/10/18129126/tiktok-app-musically-meme-cringe }https://www.theverge.com/tldr/2018/1/26/16937712/karma-is-a-bitch-riverdale-kreayshawn-meme }https://www.theverge.com/2018/8/2/17644260/musically-rebrand-tiktok-bytedance-douyin }https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/tiktok-video-app-growth-867587/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musical.lyhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ByteDance  }https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TikTok }https://www.businessinsider.com/what-is-musically-2016-5  }https://supchina.com/2017/09/13/can-pop-music-connect-teens-china-world-musical-ly-co-founder-louis-yang-wants-find/  }https://supchina.com/podcast/ep-28-the-worlds-most-valuable-startup-bytedance-maker-of-tiktok-toutiao/ }https://supchina.com/podcast/ep-55-kuaishou-the-anti-douyin-tiktok/ }https://supchina.com/podcast/ep-56-not-just-tiktok-a-short-history-of-chinese-short-video-abroad/  }https://supchina.com/2019/09/25/the-difference-between-tiktok-and-douyin/  }https://pandaily.com/toutiaos-buy-1b-purchase-musical-ly/  }https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-internet-livestreaming-idUSKBN17E0EV }https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTyg2E44pBA }https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ey15v81pwII  }https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3038639/alex-zhus-journey-failed-startup-tiktok-chief  }https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/ryanmac/zuckerberg-musically-tiktok-china-facebook }https://techcrunch.com/2019/11/12/instagram-reels/ }https://www.techinasia.com/douyin-rise-in-china }https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptKqFafZgCk  }https://technode.com/2017/05/17/kwai-kuaishou-chinas-biggest-social-video-sharing-app/  }https://technode.com/2018/05/10/how-douyin-became-the-most-popular-app-in-the-world/  }https://blog.ycombinator.com/the-hidden-forces-behind-toutiao-chinas-content-king/ }https://www.techinasia.com/douyin-rise-in-china