Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates says the company’s deal with TikTok is a “poisonous chalice”.
In an interview with Wired, Gates said social media management isn’t straightforward, like the ongoing encryption issue. While promoting more competition in the social media space, Gates called US President Donald Trump’s decision to ban TikTok “rather bizarre.”
“Who knows what’s going to happen with this deal. But yes, it is a poisoned chalice. Being big in the social media business is not a simple game like the encryption problem, ”he said.
When asked if he was suspicious of Microsoft’s entry into the social media space. Gates replied, “I mean, it might sound interested, but I think the most competitive game is. probably one. good thing. But having Trump kill the only competitor is quite strange. “
Gates also criticizes Trump’s comments that the US government should get a cut in the sale of TikTok’s US operations.
“I agree that the principle on which this takes place is singularly strange. The cut thing is doubly strange. In any case, Microsoft will have to manage all of this, ”he added.
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The TikTok deal would help Microsoft enter the social media space with an existing massive user base. It should be noted that Microsoft does not have a large offering in the social media space, which is currently dominated by Facebook and Twitter. TikTok, owned by ByteDance, quickly became a strong new competitor with a massive user base in key markets such as India.
That said, Gates isn’t alone in criticizing the possible ban on TikTok in the United States. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said the ban would set a bad long-term precedent. During the recent hearing with the US Congress, Zuckerberg also mentioned TikTok as one of the reasons Facebook didn’t have a monopoly on social media.
