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TikTok: Bill Gates warns Microsoft of a possible deal - and calls the app "poisoned goblet"

2020-08-12T10:40:09.846Z


Donald Trump wants to force the operator of the TikTok app to sell the US division. Microsoft clearly showed interest. But now founder Bill Gates warns of the deal.


Donald Trump wants to force the operator of the TikTok app to sell the US division. Microsoft clearly showed interest. But now founder Bill Gates warns of the deal.

  • Donald Trump wants to ban the TikTok video platform in the US from September.
  • The only way out for the Chinese operator is to sell the US division of the app.
  • Microsoft has already expressed interest, but now Bill Gates is warning of the deal.

Redmond - Ever since US President Donald Trump announced that he wanted to ban the video platform TikTok in the US, there has been a lot of fuss about the app. The software giant Microsoft confirmed its interest in the app and is aiming to take over the US division and other international activities from TikTok. The talks with the Chinese operator ByteDance should go ahead despite the president's concerns. But now Bill Gates is warning of the deal.

"Who knows what will happen to this deal," said the company founder in an interview with Wired magazine . "But yes, it is a poisoned goblet," Gates continued. In social media -Business to work, was not an easy thing. Especially when it comes to topics like encryption. But it is "bizarre" that Trump * simply flatters a competitor.

Microsoft isn't the only one interested in TikTok

Bill Gates doesn't seem to be enthusiastic about the idea of taking over the app . The 64-year-old retired from Microsoft's operational business in 2008 , but is still at his company as a technical advisor. In the event of a takeover, Microsoft would have to deal with all the turmoil surrounding TikTok , he says in an interview. TikTok itself also sends its community a message on Twitter.

A message to the TikTok community. pic.twitter.com/UD3TR2HfEf

- TikTok (@tiktok_us) August 1, 2020

In the tussle over the future of the Chinese video app , Microsoft is not the only player on the scene. According to the Wall Street Journal , the short message service Twitter is also said to be interested in it. After initial discussions, it was unclear whether Twitter would press ahead with the plans, the newspaper wrote on the weekend, citing informed people.

TikTok takeover: Microsoft and Twitter have little time left

The popular video app is also very popular in the USA - especially with young people. It claims to have 100 million users in the United States alone. In addition to funny dance videos, political content is also distributed there. The US government is of the opinion that information from American citizens is not safe with TikTok , as the providers could be forced to cooperate by Chinese authorities. That is why Donald Trump * has signed a decree that prohibits business with Byte Dance from mid-September.

Therefore, the time for a deal is very limited. Microsoft or Twitter would have to come to an agreement with the Chinese operator by then. Otherwise it would mean the end of the app in the USA. The video platform is likely to cost several tens of billions of dollars . Twitter would have a lot more problems raising this amount than Microsoft. However, the US short message service could benefit from the fact that, unlike the software company, it is not one of the big names in the industry. The tech giants are currently increasingly in the sights of politics. (mam / dpa) * Merkur.de is part of the Ippen digital network.

List of rubric lists: © Gian Ehrenzeller / KEYSTONE / dpa

Source: merkur

All news articles on 2020-08-12

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