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TikTok, one of the world’s most popular social networks, is going through a difficult time again in the USA. A bill submitted to the US House of Representatives proposes selling TikTok and banning it in the US if the sale does not occur. US President Joe Biden stated that he would sign the bill if it becomes law. According to The Wall Street Journal, former Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick, who left his position at the end of last year, wants to buy TikTok.
It is stated that Kotick brought up this idea to OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and other potential partners at a conference dinner he attended last week. It is among the information given in the news that ByteDance’s founder Zhang Yiming was contacted regarding the issue. It is predicted that TikTok’s sales price will be hundreds of billions of dollars.
Kotick didn’t leave Activision on good terms after leading it for more than 30 years. In a case filed in 2021 and decided last year, it was stated that Activision encouraged sexual harassment and gender discrimination under the Kotick administration. A short time later, in a report published by The Wall Street Journal, it was stated that Kotick was aware of allegations of abuse and assault for many years and did not report them to the board of directors as required. At that time, harassment allegations against Kotick were also brought to the agenda, and Activision Blizzard denied the allegation.
After this news emerged, Activsion Blizzard employees revolted and demanded Kotick’s resignation. However, this did not happen and Kotick remained in his position until the completion of Activision Blizzard’s acquisition by Microsoft.
TikTok gets support from a surprise name
TikTok is trying to resist the bill brought forward by the US House of Representatives. While it remains unclear how this resistance will result, it is noteworthy that former US President Donald Trump, who put similar pressure on TikTok at the time, now stands by TikTok. However, it is worth noting that members of the Republican Party, of which Trump is a member, support the bill.