TikTok Could Shake Silicon Valley's Free-Trade Instincts
If it sees a need for protectionism, the industry might not be so reliably Democratic.
Kids these days…
Source: AFP, via Getty Images
Silicon Valley has been a perennial champion of globalization and free trade because of the belief that expanded access to markets would mean higher profits for American tech companies and more jobs for American workers. That love of globalization might sour if a Chinese company becomes the next big winner.
The growing popularity with American teens of the Chinese-created video app TikTok may be an early indication that the next Facebook, Instagram or Twitter might not come from an American company. Should Chinese apps cut into the market share and profits of American internet companies, we could see Silicon Valley turn protectionist in some shape or form, threatening some of the current political alliances in the U.S.