Bill Gates thinks buying TikTok is a risky move for Microsoft
Microsoft intends to save TikTok, or rather, to take over at a bargain price the growing business of a Chinese company that has fallen out of favor with the US government. However, co-founder Bill Gates, who is now only an advisor to the software giant, sees this as a risky move.
This is because managing a social network is not easy. Bill Gates explained that such a purchase could make the market more competitive, but taking over TikTok from Microsoft is “like drinking from a bowl of poison.”
“Who knows what will happen with this deal. But yes, this is a bowl of poison. “Being big in the social media business is a challenge, as is the challenge of encryption, ” Bill Gates told Wired. – I think that a more competitive environment is probably a good thing. But when Trump kills the only real competitor, it’s pretty weird. “
Bill Gates already knows how to make TikTok even more popular. “My analysis of dance moves will be fantastic for them, ” he joked.
While Microsoft and TikTok are expected to reach an agreement by September 15, negotiations between the Redmond software giant and ByteDance, the Chinese owner of the service, are still underway. The United States government is also involved in negotiations, and US President Donald Trump said that if the takeover does not take place, TikTok will simply be banned in the United States. Twitter is also interested in the takeover.
This approach did not like China, which warned that it would not sit and watch as one of its most popular services was transferred to the United States. Chinese authorities have said retaliation is possible, and many believe Apple could be hurt. It remains to be seen how this will end, but at the moment it seems only a matter of time before TikTok becomes part of Microsoft.
