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šŸšØ TikTok's Final Stand: D-Day is Here

šŸšØ TikTok's Final Stand: D-Day is Here

Channel 9 Reaction GIF by The Block

Today's Supreme Court hearing could seal TikTok's fate.

I've been here before... twice.

  • First, when Meta's updates killed my Facebook Messenger SaaS overnight (six figures, gone like that).

  • Then Amazon's rebate prohibition wiped out my 89% success rate launch service.

Both times I faced near bankruptcyā€¦ā€¦ I have a habit of going ā€œall inā€. Ever wonder why I move around so much? These failed businesses were the reason.

Now TikTok might be number three: The universe really wants me to learn this lesson about platform dependency, huh? šŸŽ­

This Time Feels Different

This Is Different GIF by Harlem

Unlike my previous update, I'm less optimistic. Public opinion has swayed meā€¦. These public opinion poles were correct in predicting the US candidacy among other poles. They were sitting at 30%, last week, now 57% šŸ¤¬

ByteDance has until January 19th to sell TikTok's US operations, or it's game over for 170 million users and 7,000 employees.

The courts aren't playing around this time. This isn't another empty threat ā€“ they unanimously declared the ban constitutional. That's legal speak for "This is happening, folks."

I will be watching the Live stream at 10am EST (my house depends on it šŸ˜ž)

What This Means For You

Choose And You GIF by reactionseditor

If the Supreme Court rejects the case today, expect chaos:

  • TikTok Shop operations cease

  • No more app updates

  • Existing users face degrading functionality

  • Every TikTok agency scrambling to pivot (including us)

The Silver Lining (because There's Always One)

Remember when Amazon banned rebates? The sellers who adapted quickly came back stronger. Same playbook here ā€“ while others panic, smart operators will position themselves for what comes next.

A Personal Note

Staring Episode 2 GIF by The Office

If the ban goes through, I'll miss this platform. It changed ecommerce forever, gave small brands a fighting chance, and honestly... it was fun.

I love TikTok for one reasonā€¦ā€¦ ā€˜it gives the small guy a fighting chanceā€™.

The platform is a disruptor; Amazon and Meta are worried. Amazon is a bullyā€¦.. they donā€™t care for its sellers (how many sellers love Amazon?ā€¦.. be honestā€¦ā€¦ very few šŸ˜ž).

They donā€™t care for the ā€˜little guyā€™ā€¦.. I donā€™t want to be a billionaire running a multi-million dollar business, I want to be be the ā€˜little guyā€™ that makes enough to support his family and most importantly, spending more than enough time with their kidsā€¦. and when they ask ā€œDo you have a job? Do Dads work?ā€. I always reply ā€œyes, not dropping you off at the orphanage is my work šŸ˜‰ā€ (they never understand that phraseā€¦.. Maybe when I change their names to ā€˜Annieā€ they willā€¦. but I am no ā€˜Daddy Warbucks").

TikTok gives the ā€˜little guyā€™ a fighting chanceā€¦.. if the ban goes through, we will pivot and come back stronger.

But a pivot will take months and will no doubt be incredibly stressful. If I hear one more guru say ā€œYou should diversifyā€, I will expose all their failures (a ton of the so called gurus have skeletons in their closet, point them out and watch them back pedalā€¦ā€¦ they are more sensitive than a pre-teen).

Until then, keep those TikTok campaigns running. Either we're about to witness the greatest comeback in tech history, or we're going down swinging.

- Paul šŸ‘Š

P.S. By the time you read this, we'll know if the Supreme Court took the case. If they didn't... well, my LinkedIn bio is already updated. Just kidding (kind of).

P.P.S. The sky isn't falling, but maybe pack an umbrella just in case.

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