From per-processor licensing to... per-follower? Oracle said to be in talks to buy TikTok’s US operations
- Reference: 1597732146
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2020/08/18/oracle_tiktok_talks/
- Source link:
The Financial Times, quoting “people briefed on the matter,” [1]reports that Oracle has had talks with TikTok owner ByteDance, plus investors that already have a stake in TikTok.
The aim of the talks is apparently to trump Microsoft’s [2]bid for TikTok’s assets in the USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
Why Oracle would want any part of TikTok is hard to understand. Big Red does offer a cloudy unified communications tool called Beehive but it is hardly a front-line product for the company. It is hard to see a corporatized version of TikTok creating buzz for Beehive, or giving it the sting needed to take on the likes of Teams, WebEx or Slack.
Nor does it seem likely that Oracle thinks it is a good idea to operate a social network mostly used by youth, as doing so would be a radical departure from its focus on business software. If Oracle is contemplating such a shift, it must surely consider that enterprise vendors have terrible histories of attempting to enter the consumer world. Cisco, for example, had embarrassing flops as owner of the Flip camcorder and failed with the Umi home videoconferencing product.
The Register therefore wonders if there aren’t other motives behind the bid. Oracle founder Larry Ellison and Microsoft have a long enmity so bidding for TikTok could see Redmond pay even more for an already-contentious outfit. Or perhaps Oracle represents a useful corporate shelter for other ByteDance investors who could park the company under a Big Red umbrella before Donald Trump’s deadline for TikTok to dispose of itself or be [3]banished from America as part of his tough-on-China rhetoric.
Speaking of Trump, Ellison is a known admirer of the American president. Could he be playing politics in some other weird way? ®
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[1] https://www.ft.com/content/272cfc69-b268-45ac-88d6-d55821f27e78
[2] https://www.theregister.com/2020/08/03/microsoft_confirms_tiktok_interest_after_nadella_trum_talks/
[3] https://www.theregister.com/2020/08/05/china_slams_tiktok_trump_plan/
[4] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Re: Oh yes, PLEASE do
Added bonus of another reason to hate Oracle.
Is there enough popcorn in the world?
I still don't understand how Trump and the US can dictate that Bytedance have to sell their Canada, Australia and New Zealand operations as well as their US one?
I am guessing this means that in the ROW TikTok will still be owned by China? If that is the case what happens if someone has the Chinese owned version of the app installed and then goes to visit USA, Canada, Australia or New Zealand after its been purchased by MS or Oracle etc?
He can't: this is electioneering.
Any Similarities?
Fast forward 10 years when TikTok is worth 1/4 of its purchase price. MS sues the sellers for over valuing the company that they bought quick for an inflated price because they thought Larry wanted it.
OR
Just like Ebay, ghost bidders connected to the seller up the bid price with no intention of buying the item. (allegedly, M'laud)
"Why Oracle would want any part of TikTok is hard to understand."
FOMO.
What else do they have that's a recognised consumer brand?
Or part of a complicated financial engineering package that see TikTok parked at Oracle ready to be sold on or back when the politics are less volatile.
If TikTok US is sold, then a TikTok worldwide IPO, which would make by far the most money for investors, is unlikely.
Please Oracle buy this [redacted]
It will soon be worthless now that Trump is promoting 'Triller'
Will Triller become tainted because the king of uncool is promoting it?
Oh yes, PLEASE do
If there's any company that can kill TikTok faster than Microsoft with sheer boomer corporate uncoolness and evil suit stupid, it's Oracle.
(I know it'd only be the US operations, but you take what you can get).