What Next: TBD | TikTok: Somehow Also Affected by the Tariffs

Slate Technology

Slate

Society & Culture, Technology, History

4.6 • 636 Ratings

🗓️ 13 April 2025

⏱️ 22 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

TikTok was on the verge of being sold to a non-Chinese company when Trump rolled out his new tariff plans. Now everything is thrown into uncertainty and the company has until mid-June to find another buyer—or be banned in the United States. Guest: Sapna Maheshwari, New York Times reporter covering TikTok, technology and emerging media companies. Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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1:05.1	On April 3rd, TikTok was close to a deal. This was two days before the social media company faced a federal deadline, sell to a non-Chinese company, or get banned in the U.S.
1:17.6	New York Times reporter Sapna Maheshwari says the pieces were moving into place for a sale.
1:23.8	From what we've heard, this deal was on paper. There was a really long document that laid out
1:31.5	terms and conditions, investors had said they were on board. The Trump administration, most
1:37.9	importantly, thought this thing was buttoned up and thought that they would be announcing a deal
1:42.8	by the end of the week.
1:51.1	And then the next day, President Trump announces he's extended the deadline to find a buyer for TikTok for another 75 days. What happened in between those two things?
1:58.3	The thing that we are all staring at right now, tariffs happened.
2:02.6	My fellow Americans, this is Liberation Day, waiting for a long time.
	...

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