Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt / Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons
Amid TikTok’s lawsuit to block the US government’s potential ban, ex-Google CEO Eric Schmidt told Bloomberg that he had once considered acquiring the short-video app, though he is “not currently looking” at a deal.
In its lawsuit, TikTok argues that the law – which would pressure TikTok’s parent ByteDance to sell the app within a year or risk a ban – restricts free speech. Schmidt criticized the law, suggesting that regulating TikTok would be more appropriate than an outright ban.
After leaving Google, Schmidt focused on US-China tensions through the Special Competitive Studies Project, a think tank that aims to boost the Western country’s competitiveness in AI and other emerging tech sectors. Elsewhere in the interview, Schmidt also estimated that the US is two to three years ahead of China in the fast-growing AI field, but that may change should China solve its semiconductor shortages.
US officials have voiced concerns over possible Chinese government access to user data and potential manipulation of user feeds due to TikTok’s links to Chinese parent company ByteDance. Both TikTok and Beijing have repeatedly denied these allegations.
According to a previous report, TikTok may choose to leave the US – a relatively smaller market in its portfolio – rather than sell off the algorithm-rich platform.
See also: Shopee ramps up short-video efforts, but can it fend off TikTok Shop?
Editing by Putra Muskita and Dhania Putri Sarahtika
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