blizzard Ex-Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick Shows Interest in Buying TikTok

[Staff 1,502]

According to WSJ, Bobby Kotick, former CEO of Activision Blizzard, has floated the idea of buying TikTok to potential partners.

Former Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick has reportedly shown interest in purchasing TikTok, as legislation in the U.S. threatens to ban or force the sale of the popular app over national security concerns.

Kotick is said to be seeking partners for the potential acquisition, discussing the opportunity with notable figures including OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. The move comes amid growing scrutiny over TikTok's data privacy practices and its ties to China, with U.S. lawmakers pushing for decisive action.

You can read the whole news piece over at WSJ.

Bobby Kotick left his position at Activision Blizzard in December 2023 after Microsoft finalized its purchase of the company. Post-acquisition, he reportedly received over $375 million, as detailed by Forbes.

Source: WSJ 

[Prophet001 599]

TikTok must be all kinda messed up if they're seriously pushing this forward. Glad I never touched it.

[zaframkot 8]

58 minutes ago, Prophet001 said:

TikTok must be all kinda messed up if they're seriously pushing this forward. Glad I never touched it.

TikTok actually isn't all kinds of messed up. I'm not even a user of the app, but the whole thing is just wildly ridiculous. There's 2 main concerns from the US government about TikTok and why they're pushing this ban forward as much as they can. 

1. The old people in the government are having a really hard time understanding that all Asians are not Chinese people. They despise TikTok because it's Chinese. Except it's not Chinese, it's Singaporean. But to old people who come off especially racist by saying this, they can't tell the difference even when explicitly told it's Chinese, it's Singaporean. 

2. They seem to be especially concerned about US freedom of speech recently when it comes to US politician criticism. And TikTok is where much of that criticism is shared. So they need to lock it down.

100% of all legitimate concerns about TikTok (because there are many legitimate concerns regarding things like our data privacy) apply to virtually every company that has a website in the US, not even just social media, because of things like advertising and the tracking involved with it. But they especially apply to all other Social Media. Every concern is applicable to X, Facebook, Reddit, etc. as well.

What's more hilarious to me is that, assume TikTok was actually Chinese (again, it's not), someone like Bobby Kotick could so easily do so much more damage with all that user data than China could possibly do to people in the US. China can get as much data as they want, it wouldn't change that they're still in China and we're still in the US and their "control" is extremely limited (I put control in quotes because no one's provided me evidence of real control before, but I don't dismiss the idea that they can influence still). 

[Prophet001 599]

9 minutes ago, zaframkot said:

TikTok actually isn't all kinds of messed up. I'm not even a user of the app, but the whole thing is just wildly ridiculous. There's 2 main concerns from the US government about TikTok and why they're pushing this ban forward as much as they can. 

1. The old people in the government are having a really hard time understanding that all Asians are not Chinese people. They despise TikTok because it's Chinese. Except it's not Chinese, it's Singaporean. But to old people who come off especially racist by saying this, they can't tell the difference even when explicitly told it's Chinese, it's Singaporean. 

2. They seem to be especially concerned about US freedom of speech recently when it comes to US politician criticism. And TikTok is where much of that criticism is shared. So they need to lock it down.

100% of all legitimate concerns about TikTok (because there are many legitimate concerns regarding things like our data privacy) apply to virtually every company that has a website in the US, not even just social media, because of things like advertising and the tracking involved with it. But they especially apply to all other Social Media. Every concern is applicable to X, Facebook, Reddit, etc. as well.

What's more hilarious to me is that, assume TikTok was actually Chinese (again, it's not), someone like Bobby Kotick could so easily do so much more damage with all that user data than China could possibly do to people in the US. China can get as much data as they want, it wouldn't change that they're still in China and we're still in the US and their "control" is extremely limited (I put control in quotes because no one's provided me evidence of real control before, but I don't dismiss the idea that they can influence still). 

No offense but it's not "the old people". The old people are just the messengers. The NSA is the one telling "the old people".

[Swarf 111]

I think what it all boils down to is that the US government has an issue with a foreign owned social media software company having such unprecedented data access to what so many people of all ages, and specifically Americans, are actively interested in and doing.  Do I think it's a 'spy app,' no... but the amount and type of data tiktok can naturally harvest is mind boggling.  

Also, I cringed seeing that picture of Kotick.  Just when you think you've seen the last of him, he comes splattering across the screen like someone's gross projectile vomit.

[Ken007 97]

This is the government's secret plan to destroy Tik-Tok. He buys it then we know he will run it into the ground......

The data is an issue but not the main issue. Tik Tok has already been used to influence people's opinions in important social matters that could have big impacts around the world (think of all the conflicts, it was used in may of them). Controlling what info is allowed to spread (or buried) on Tik-Tok is a type of power (information is power). Conventional warfare is somewhat dated, cyber, crypto,  social, economic, information, etc all of those are the battlegrounds now.

The government doesn't want a foreign nation wielding that power over the citizenry, and rightfully so. The way the votes go down on this on at the Fed will show you who really cares about the people and who is about the $$$. 

Edited March 13, 2024 by Ken007

[Q 200]

8 minutes ago, Ken007 said:

This is the government's secret plan to destroy Tik-Tok. He buys it then we know he will run it into the ground......

The data is an issue but not the main issue. Tik Tok has already been used to influence people's opinions in important social matters that could have big impacts around the world (think of all the conflicts, it was used in may of them). Controlling what info is allowed to spread (or buried) on Tik-Tok is a type of power (information is power). Conventional warfare is somewhat dated, cyber, crypto,  social, economic, information, etc all of those are the battlegrounds now.

The government doesn't want a foreign nation wielding that power over the citizenry, and rightfully so. The way the votes go down on this on at the Fed will show you who really cares about the people and who is about the $$$. 

Also, given how many stupid trends have come from tiktok that have led to the hospitalization or deaths of people I'd consider the whole thing a hazard to the general public. Ordinarily, I'd say let Darwinism take effect but given that that is only one of the ways tiktok has affected society I really think the whole thing should be banned from the US.

[zaframkot 8]

1 hour ago, Q said:

Also, given how many stupid trends have come from tiktok that have led to the hospitalization or deaths of people I'd consider the whole thing a hazard to the general public. Ordinarily, I'd say let Darwinism take effect but given that that is only one of the ways tiktok has affected society I really think the whole thing should be banned from the US.

This is a very ignorant comment that implies that all of these trends would not exist anyway when they all would, they would have just come from some other platform. 

[SidonisAntares 290]

1 hour ago, Q said:

Also, given how many stupid trends have come from tiktok that have led to the hospitalization or deaths of people I'd consider the whole thing a hazard to the general public. Ordinarily, I'd say let Darwinism take effect but given that that is only one of the ways tiktok has affected society I really think the whole thing should be banned from the US.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Internet_challenges

Oldest ones listed go back to 2006, though there are probably plenty of trends that are even older. TikTok was released globally in 2017 (Dyouin was 2016 but not globally available) and didn't really become insanely popular until a few months later in 2018 as celebrities started using it. Congratulations, you're a senile politician listening to the NSA.

[CheLives 6]

Can we get back on track and remind everyone how horrible Kotick is and that he would only make TikTok worse? Thanks!😁

[Ken007 97]

9 hours ago, zaframkot said:

This is a very ignorant comment that implies that all of these trends would not exist anyway when they all would, they would have just come from some other platform. 

The issue is not that the posts exist, you are right- they would anyway. It is that a foreign government is controlling that flow of information and is deciding what is boosted and what is buried. It is also purposefully boosting information that would cause unrest here. If our government would let a foreign nation do that- they are very weak indeed. Would you let that happen in your house?

[Siriaktwo 2]

*filtered* this guy. Stop talking about him. He's gone. Can't we just pretend he doesn't exist now?

[Pandabuffel 184]

On 3/14/2024 at 1:29 AM, zaframkot said:

This is a very ignorant comment that implies that all of these trends would not exist anyway when they all would, they would have just come from some other platform. 

They would still exist, but social platforms like these definitely feeds it. Even without Social Media back in the day we sometimes had really stupid ideas as a kid, but you'd probably do it with a friend secretly in the backyard and after that just tell about it at school. And that's it.

Nowadays it gets filmed and gets popular. Other people see this and want to be popular as well so they copy it and post it online as well. The next person wants even more fame so is doing the same stupid thing but is making it even more stupid to stand out even more. Bluntly put a platform like this can make an stupid idea/action into a popularity contest who can do it the most stupid really quick.

Trends like these will always exist, but I don't think it's such a bad idea to close down one of the worst feeders of such trends.

[Arcling 898]

On 3/14/2024 at 1:51 AM, SidonisAntares said:

TikTok was released globally in 2017 (Dyouin was 2016 but not globally available) and didn't really become insanely popular until a few months later in 2018 as celebrities started using it.

Exactly, TikTok wasn't the reason stupid challenges were popular. For example, there were already popular Youtube challenge/prank channels years before TikTok even existed.

[SidonisAntares 290]

On 3/13/2024 at 8:56 PM, CheLives said:

Can we get back on track and remind everyone how horrible Kotick is and that he would only make TikTok worse? Thanks!😁

Why is he going to hire everyone who let the Cosby Suite go on as long as it did? He's only one person, and even CEOs can only do what the board and other executives let them get away with.

[IANOS 0]

 

I think it's not a bad thing, seeing as he managed Activision Blizzard, he can only sink Tik Tok :)

<3