He’s open to Elon or another American company buying it.
He also hinted at the U.S. itself owning half of the app, essentially becoming a joint venture with ByteDance.
Our take: this is wild. For so many reasons.
First off, tech companies never lean into one political party this hard.
When I worked at YouTube, we made every effort to work with both parties to be bipartisan.
But hey, TikTok is fighting for its life. Suddenly all bets are off.
Second, there's a world where TikTok gets saved but CapCut still goes under.
Now, you may be thinking - so what? TikTok is the golden goose. But hear me out.
CapCut is TikTok's oxygen. It helps them control culture.
Yes, most editing apps have the same basic features like trimming and filters.
But when a platform has a popular editing app (like TikTok with CapCut and now Instagram with Edits)....well, holy shit.
They can push songs, dance trends, and other templates for you to edit your content with. Ever wonder why the same songs don't trend on different platforms?
It's because each platform wants to say they started the trend.
Originality is the currency of any social platform.
The Next 75 Days
Expect Instagram to launch even more tools within their editing app to help creators take part of trends.
Repurposing old TikToks to IG is nice. But replacing TikTok as the center of internet culture?
That's the real prize Instagram is after.
MoistCr1TiKaL & Ludwig Merge Esports Teams to Stay in the Game
This merger gives Shopify Rebellion and Moist Esports a chance to pool resources, widen their merchandise efforts, and create a foundation for the future of Esports
Quote: “Joining forces allows us to field stronger teams, invest more in fans, and create a more resilient organization,” Shopify Rebellion Founder Jeremy Steeves aid.
Our Take
Esports isn’t dead — far from it with projections hitting 600 million viewers this year. But the path to profitability remains tricky.
Without the big sponsors or broadcasting deals of traditional sports, merch sales have become a critical revenue stream for Esports organizations like 100 Thieves.
It’s a model Ludwig and MoistCr1TiKaL are likely to lean even more heavily into this model as they shape the future of Shopify Rebellion.
For creators, the takeaway is clear: building a sustainable business means aligning your strategy to your audience, not just following the traditional playbook.
🎯 Weekly Roundup: Thumbnails
Here's why we love these YT thumbnails. Hopefully they inspire your next one.
Split faces stitched across multiple screens stop your scroll (OK Go)
The skater’s graceful pose contrasts beautifully against the vast, icy backdrop (Michaela Carrot)
Bright green sludge pushed into neat rows makes you wonder what's happening (TEKNIQ)
19-square-foot house + Guinness World Records badge creates intrigue (Levi Kelly Tours)
🚀 Weekly Outlier
This video by KLIFS TECH has 3.3M views, which is 1,000 times higher than the channel’s average. Here's why it took off:
Curiosity Spark: The promise of a solo-built treehouse makes you wonder, "How will he pull it off?"
Stunning Visuals: The forest backdrop and detailed work keep you hooked.
DIY Inspiration: Perfect for anyone dreaming of building their own treehouse.
I’m starting off the year with some big goals for my channel: higher CTR, better titles, and higher production quality.
But success doesn’t happen by accident. It’s all about having the right tools, and for me, that’s Spotter Studio.
Here’s how I’m using Spotter Studio to hit my 2025 goals:
Better Thumbnails: Spotter Studio’s thumbnail tool makes brainstorming and mocking up designs faster—giving me better ideas to drive up my CTR.
Better Videos: The Outliers tool helps me uncover trending topics and tailor videos to what my audience wants.
Better Packaging: I tweaked my video titles a lot in 2024, but Spotter Studio’s Title Tool gives me data-backed suggestions proven to drive clicks with less guesswork.
Whatever your creator goals are for 2025, Spotter Studio has the tools to help get you there.
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