What happens if TikTok, one of the most popular social media apps, is banned in the US? That is the question on the minds of many developers, technology analysts and millions of users.
Much like Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and Snapchat, TikTok and its hundreds of millions of users have managed to create an economic powerhouse from content.
Gaurav Misra, chief executive and co-founder of Captions, a developer of popular video-editing and generation tools, said that while TikTok has proved to be one of the more influential storytelling platforms of the past decade, it is not without competitors that could capitalise on a ban.
“I think what will happen is that there's just going to be a lot more viewers on Instagram Reels,” Mr Misra said, referring to the vertical video format offered by Instagram in recent years.
Captions, which was founded in 2021, has been able to ride on the coattails of TikTok's success in recent years.
Captions' tools are regularly used by TikTok content creators to quickly edit and create videos, but Mr Misra insisted that his company's offerings are used for far more than TikTok videos, and that a ban on the platform would not affect his company much.
“I think we're pretty diversified at this point," he said. "I think especially in the US like, you know, TikTok is popular, but Instagram and YouTube are pretty popular as well, and we do expect that other platforms will take off."
Mr Misra said that one of Captions' main video editing competitors, CapCut, is owned by ByteDance, the Beijing-based company at the centre of the possible US ban because of concerns over user data privacy and national security. The fact that it is owned by ByteDance could become problematic for CapCut.
“It's an interesting aspect for us as a company. The bill doesn't necessarily ban TikTok specifically, but it references apps owned and operated by ByteDance … there's something for us there,” he said, referring to a possible competitive advantage.
But Mr Misra said that although a US TikTok ban could spell trouble for ByteDance, TikTok's shadow of influence will not be going anywhere any time soon. Previously, he said, success for content creators revolved around how many followers they had, but with TikTok's algorithm, followers simply do not matter as much. The platform has created more opportunity for users.
“I think the power of TikTok has been discovery, right?” he said. “It's just been like, anybody can make it, basically, which actually is kind of the American dream in a way.”
Yet without a doubt, that American dream is in jeopardy, critics say, because of ByteDance's home base of China. Time and again, the company's chief executive, Shou Zi Chew, has denied that user data is compromised and sought to assure US politicians that national security concerns are exaggerated.
Yet Mr Chew has not been able to move public opinion enough to stop Congress from passing bipartisan legislation that has led the company down this litigious and high-stakes path that could spell the end of the platform.
In its various media statements, ByteDance has claimed that small businesses on TikTok would lose more than $1 billion in revenue, and that content creators could lose up to $300 million in earnings.
Mr Misra said that regardless of a Supreme Court decision that will determine the constitutionality of the TikTok ban legislation, there is what could be a bigger story unfolding about how social-media companies have operated in recent years.
“Once you make it in as a social network, it actually serves as a centrepoint to power all kinds of other businesses,” he said. “I think at the core of it is this idea that social networks are monopolistic by nature, right? Like it's difficult to make a new one, and it's difficult to have more than one operate at the same time. You need a lot of money and a lot of power to be able to do that.”
As for Captions, Mr Misra insisted that it is not dependent on TikTok and its plans for 2025 would be unaffected by the Supreme Court's ruling.
“I think we're, you know, doing some pretty interesting things right now,” he said, referring to Captions' investment in artificial intelligence and various AI-infused editing tools.
He said that many content creators would easily find another home, with the storytelling formats continuing to evolve even if a TikTok ban goes into effect.
“I think the future of content creation, whether it's recording or editing, is going to be very different in the future or in 2025 compared to the past,” Mr Misra said.
According to the Supreme Court filing, TikTok and the US Justice Department will have to electronically file their briefs by Friday, and a hearing is scheduled to take place on January 10, a little more than one week before the January 19 deadline that could lead to the social media platform's ban in the US.
SERIE A FIXTURES
All times UAE ( 4 GMT)
Saturday
Roma v Udinese (5pm)
SPAL v Napoli (8pm)
Juventus v Torino (10.45pm)
Sunday
Sampdoria v AC Milan (2.30pm)
Inter Milan v Genoa (5pm)
Crotone v Benevento (5pm)
Verona v Lazio (5pm)
Cagliari v Chievo (5pm)
Sassuolo v Bologna (8pm)
Fiorentina v Atalanta (10.45pm)
MATCH INFO
Champions League quarter-final, first leg
Tottenham Hotspur v Manchester City, Tuesday, 11pm (UAE)
Matches can be watched on BeIN Sports
Match info
Champions League quarter-final, first leg
Liverpool v Porto, Tuesday, 11pm (UAE)
Matches can be watched on BeIN Sports
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Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Paltan
Producer: JP Films, Zee Studios
Director: JP Dutta
Cast: Jackie Shroff, Sonu Sood, Arjun Rampal, Siddhanth Kapoor, Luv Sinha and Harshvardhan Rane
Rating: 2/5
The years Ramadan fell in May
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Specs
Engine: 2-litre
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 255hp
Torque: 273Nm
Price: Dh240,000
ATP WORLD No 1
2004 Roger Federer
2005 Roger Federer
2006 Roger Federer
2007 Roger Federer
2008 Rafael Nadal
2009 Roger Federer
2010 Rafael Nadal
2011 Novak Djokovic
2012 Novak Djokovic
2013 Rafael Nadal
2014 Novak Djokovic
2015 Novak Djokovic
2016 Andy Murray
2017 Rafael Nadal
2018 Novak Djokovic
2019 Rafael Nadal
MATCH INFO
What: Brazil v South Korea
When: Tonight, 5.30pm
Where: Mohamed bin Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Tickets: www.ticketmaster.ae
Zayed Sustainability Prize
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
AUSTRALIA SQUAD
Steve Smith (capt), David Warner, Cameron Bancroft, Jackson Bird, Pat Cummins, Peter Handscomb, Josh Hazlewood, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Shaun Marsh, Tim Paine, Chadd Sayers, Mitchell Starc.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
IF YOU GO
The flights: FlyDubai offers direct flights to Catania Airport from Dubai International Terminal 2 daily with return fares starting from Dh1,895.
The details: Access to the 2,900-metre elevation point at Mount Etna by cable car and 4x4 transport vehicle cost around €57.50 (Dh248) per adult. Entry into Teatro Greco costs €10 (Dh43). For more go to www.visitsicily.info
Where to stay: Hilton Giardini Naxos offers beachfront access and accessible to Taormina and Mount Etna. Rooms start from around €130 (Dh561) per night, including taxes.
MATCH INFO
Day 2 at Mount Maunganui
England 353
Stokes 91, Denly 74, Southee 4-88
New Zealand 144-4
Williamson 51, S Curran 2-28
PROFILE BOX:
Company/date started: 2015
Founder/CEO: Rami Salman, Rishav Jalan, Ayush Chordia
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Technology, Sales, Voice, Artificial Intelligence
Size: (employees/revenue) 10/ 100,000 downloads
Stage: 1 ($800,000)
Investors: Eight first-round investors including, Beco Capital, 500 Startups, Dubai Silicon Oasis, Hala Fadel, Odin Financial Services, Dubai Angel Investors, Womena, Arzan VC
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The Scale for Clinical Actionability of Molecular Targets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Read more about the coronavirus
More coverage from the Future Forum
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
SPECS
Mini John Cooper Works Clubman and Mini John Cooper Works Countryman
Engine: two-litre 4-cylinder turbo
Transmission: nine-speed automatic
Power: 306hp
Torque: 450Nm
Price: JCW Clubman, Dh220,500; JCW Countryman, Dh225,500
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
BRAZIL SQUAD
Alisson (Liverpool), Daniel Fuzato (Roma), Ederson (Man City); Alex Sandro (Juventus), Danilo (Juventus), Eder Militao (Real Madrid), Emerson (Real Betis), Felipe (Atletico Madrid), Marquinhos (PSG), Renan Lodi (Atletico Madrid), Thiago Silva (PSG); Arthur (Barcelona), Casemiro (Real Madrid), Douglas Luiz (Aston Villa), Fabinho (Liverpool), Lucas Paqueta (AC Milan), Philippe Coutinho (Bayern Munich); David Neres (Ajax), Gabriel Jesus (Man City), Richarlison (Everton), Roberto Firmino (Liverpool), Rodrygo (Real Madrid), Willian (Chelsea).
UAE SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Ali Khaseif, Fahad Al Dhanhani, Mohammed Al Shamsi, Adel Al Hosani
Defenders: Bandar Al Ahbabi, Shaheen Abdulrahman, Walid Abbas, Mahmoud Khamis, Mohammed Barghash, Khalifa Al Hammadi, Hassan Al Mahrami, Yousef Jaber, Mohammed Al Attas
Midfielders: Ali Salmeen, Abdullah Ramadan, Abdullah Al Naqbi, Majed Hassan, Abdullah Hamad, Khalfan Mubarak, Khalil Al Hammadi, Tahnoun Al Zaabi, Harib Abdallah, Mohammed Jumah
Forwards: Fabio De Lima, Caio Canedo, Ali Saleh, Ali Mabkhout, Sebastian Tagliabue
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Brief scores:
Day 2
England: 277 & 19-0
West Indies: 154
If you go
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly direct to Nairobi, with fares starting from Dh1,695. The resort can be reached from Nairobi via a 35-minute flight from Wilson Airport or Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, or by road, which takes at least three hours.
The rooms
Rooms at Fairmont Mount Kenya range from Dh1,870 per night for a deluxe room to Dh11,000 per night for the William Holden Cottage.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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A Prayer Before Dawn
Director: Jean-Stephane Sauvaire
Starring: Joe Cole, Somluck Kamsing, Panya Yimmumphai
Three stars
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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDual%20synchronous%20electric%20motors%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E1%2C108hp%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E1%2C340Nm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESingle-speed%20automatic%20(front%20axle)%3B%20two-speed%20transmission%20(rear%20axle)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETouring%20range%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E488-560km%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh928%2C400%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EOrders%20open%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Brief scoreline:
Manchester United 1
Mata 11'
Chelsea 1
Alonso 43'
Evacuations to France hit by controversy
- Over 500 Gazans have been evacuated to France since November 2023
- Evacuations were paused after a student already in France posted anti-Semitic content and was subsequently expelled to Qatar
- The Foreign Ministry launched a review to determine how authorities failed to detect the posts before her entry
- Artists and researchers fall under a programme called Pause that began in 2017
- It has benefited more than 700 people from 44 countries, including Syria, Turkey, Iran, and Sudan
- Since the start of the Gaza war, it has also included 45 Gazan beneficiaries
- Unlike students, they are allowed to bring their families to France
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
