TikTok

TikTok is a short-video platform whose defining feature is an interest-graph algorithm that recommends content based on user behavior rather than social connections, as Synthesia CEO Victor Riparbelli described in a Z Talk interview: the system learns from how quickly you swipe past videos and scales distribution according to engagement signals, pushing viral hits through an extreme power-law dynamic while discarding underperforming content . Perplexity's growth lead Raman Malik characterized it as "a very crazy place" engineered specifically for viral spread, where ten videos might fail and one garners 7 million views .

The platform has become a flashpoint in US-China tech tensions. In January 2025, the US Supreme Court ruled 9-0 that the "sell or ban" act targeting TikTok and its parent ByteDance did not violate the Constitution, with the app briefly suspending US service on January 19 before receiving a reprieve . Legal observers noted the decision's irony: as attorney Tim pointed out, the ruling effectively provides other countries a template for banning American apps on national-security grounds without requiring actual evidence . The case sits within a broader pattern of "named" legislation singling out Chinese companies, with similar scrutiny now building around Temu and Shein .