Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg lobbied lawmakers in Washington to take a closer look at Chinese internet firm ByteDance, which owns popular short-form video app TikTok, Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported in an exclusive.
Facebook CEO lobbying against TikTok
At a private dinner with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House late last year, Zuckerberg tried to convince Trump that rising Chinese internet companies pose a threat to American business, WSJ reported, citing people familiar with the matter.
The Facebook head also sought to cast his social media company as less of a concern to Washington, compared to Chinese tech companies.
Zuckerberg also reportedly spoke about TikTok with many senators, some of whom later called for intelligence officials to conduct an inquiry into TikTok.
The 36-year-old slid TikTok into his speech on freedom of expression to Georgetown University students as well, saying the app censors mentions of protests even in the U.S., which is something that is unlike American services such as WhatsApp, which is used by "protesters and activists everywhere".
Unknown if Zuckerberg influenced the U.S. government
However, WSJ was unable to verify if Zuckerberg had influenced the U.S. government's decision when it comes to TikTok.
A White House spokesperson remained tight-lipped on Zuckerberg's interactions with Trump, while a Facebook spokesperson said Zuckerberg could not recall if he talked about TikTok at the dinner with Trump.
The revelation about Zuckerberg's behind-the-scenes manoeuvres means the story is no longer just about TikTok's legal battle with the Trump administration.
TikTok has sued the U.S. government on Monday, Aug. 24, accusing Trump of using his emergency economic powers to issue a "heavily politicised" executive order that will block the app from the U.S.
Facebook to gain the most from TikTok's ban in the U.S.
Besides Zuckerberg's personal lobbying in Washington, Facebook has spent more on lobbying than any other company in the first half of 2020, WSJ reported, citing data from research group Centre for Responsive Politics.
Facebook did so through an advocacy group it set up, which runs ads lauding U.S. tech companies for their contributions to the country's national security, economic prowess, and cultural sway.
WSJ posited that such efforts are made because Facebook stands to gain the most from the challenges that TikTok is facing in the U.S.
Zuckerberg saw TikTok's success coming
TikTok is the fastest growing social media platform in the world, with U.S. users increasing by five times in an 18-month period, Forbes reported.
And Zuckerberg likely predicted its rise, WSJ opined.
Back in 2016, Facebook sought to buy Musical.ly, a Chinese lip-synching app, although a deal never materialised in the end, according to Buzzfeed News.
The app was later bought by ByteDance, which merged it with TikTok to form the popular app that became hugely popular with American teens and young people.
Facebook tried but failed to come up with an answer to TikTok
When it failed to take over Musical.ly, Facebook later turned to releasing an app that is extremely similar.
In late 2018, it launched Lasso to challenge TikTok. The app, which had a similar interface and features with TikTok's, failed to catch on with the people, and was shut down on July 10 this year, TechCrunch reported.
Ryan Hoover, a venture capitalist, told Buzzfeed News that to American teens, TikTok is seen as cool and is "not lame yet" like Facebook.
Buzzfeed News also reported a "high-ranking" former Facebook employee as saying that Facebook has turned to "geopolitical arguments and lawmakers in Washington to fight their fight" as the company was mad that they were unable to beat TikTok.
Most recently, Facebook has jumped on the opportunity presented when TikTok's American operations came under scrutiny.
Instagram -- the photo-sharing app that Facebook owns -- has launched a short-form video function called Reels in August.
Zuckerberg no longer China's favourite "son-in-law"?
Zuckerberg's stance on TikTok differs from his previous position on China.
His attempts to get Facebook into China, which included delivering a speech in Mandarin in Tsinghua University and asking Chinese President Xi Jinping to give his baby a Chinese name, endeared himself to the Chinese public.
Screenshot of the audience at Tsinghua University via Fastest Impact/YouTube
Image of Zuckerberg with Xi via Pool/Getty Images
But that appears to have gone through a slight shift.
Chinese state-controlled media Global Times said Zuckerberg's "willingness to set aside morality for profit shows the true face of US capitalism", adding that the firm was slammed for its "double standards and bias on Hong Kong-related issues".
In addition, Fang Xingdong, founder of Beijing-based technology think tank ChinaLabs, said: "We had thought there was a good man among the internet giants, but he has shown his true face and his integrity is broken to pieces... it seems that 'the Chinese people's son-in-law' has ended his fate with China."
Top image via Donald Trump's Twitter & Bloomberg/Getty Images
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