- Influence Weekly
- Posts
- Influence Weekly #412 - YouTube Rolls Out AI Deepfake Detection Tool For Partner Program Creators
Influence Weekly #412 - YouTube Rolls Out AI Deepfake Detection Tool For Partner Program Creators
New Balance Expands NIL Portfolio With Nine Women Athletes, Led By UCLA's Sienna Betts
Nii Ahene
October 24, 2025
Spotlight Stories
YouTube Rolls Out AI Deepfake Detection Tool For Partner Program Creators
MrBeast, Vyro Launch Clipping Marketplace For Creators
TikTok Sweet Spot: New Study Shows 2-5 Weekly Posts Maximize Viewing Efficiency
New Balance Expands NIL Portfolio With Nine Women Athletes, Led By UCLA's Sienna Betts
Great Reads
MrBeast launched Vyro in October 2025, a platform that connects video clippers with established creators and brands to create short-form content. The marketplace allows participants to earn money by creating clips from long-form videos without requiring an existing audience.
Vyro pays clippers $3 per 1,000 views their submissions generate across TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts. Payments are processed hourly and can be withdrawn to cryptocurrency wallets, PayPal accounts, or traditional banks. This rate exceeds typical platform rates, with YouTube Partner Program paying $0.50-$2.00 CPM and TikTok Creator Fund paying $0.02-$0.04 CPM.
MrBeast, who has more than 445 million YouTube subscribers, partnered with creator Mark Rober on the platform. Unlike traditional monetization programs that require minimum follower counts, Vyro allows participants to earn from their first submission. The platform addresses content distribution challenges for creators who need multiple short-form clips but lack internal resources to produce them.
YouTube launched an AI deepfake detection tool on October 21 for creators enrolled in its Partner Program, enabling them to identify and report unauthorized videos using their likeness. The tool operates through YouTube Studio's Content Detection tab and requires identity verification before creators can review flagged content.
The platform notified the first wave of eligible creators via email and plans a phased rollout to additional creators over the coming months. The feature follows YouTube's earlier expansion of likeness detection tools through an open beta announced during their "Made on YouTube 2025" event marking the platform's 20th anniversary.
The system currently may flag videos featuring creators' actual faces rather than just synthetic versions, and YouTube warns users the tool might display authentic content alongside potential AI-generated material. The functionality mirrors YouTube's existing Content ID system for copyrighted audio and visual content.
The feature originated from testing that began in December with Creative Artists Agency talent before expanding to YouTube Partner Program creators.
The Hollywood Reporter profiled 23 attorneys who represent top creators in the influencer economy. Several lawyers closed major deals in 2024, including Shaun Gordon negotiating Alex Cooper's $125 million SiriusXM deal for Call Her Daddy and Matthew Thompson working on Cooper's Google partnership and Unwell ad agency launch.
MrBeast's lawyers Tara Senior and Todd Weinstein brokered his Prime Video deal for Beast Games, featuring a $10 million cash prize. Will Jacobson closed Nick Viall's $30 million podcast distribution deal through Envy Media. Ashley Silver negotiated Jake Shane's Super Bowl Poppi ad and his 21-city Therapuss tour.
The attorneys represent creators ranging from Logan Paul and Addison Rae to beauty influencer Alix Earle and YouTube's Ryan Kaji. Deal types include brand partnerships, book contracts, TV shows, and product launches. One lawyer reported a $200 million offer to license a creator's video library for five years, highlighting the value of creator-owned intellectual property in the expanding influencer marketplace.
Introducing Dinner As A Service
Reply to the newsletter for details
Your ideal customer probably doesn't know about you. This changes that. Introducing dinner as a service. Private dining, industry topics 15 to 20 of your ideal prospects
Interested? Reply to the newsletter for details
Campaign Insights
Kick, a streaming platform competing with Twitch and YouTube, set a new platform record when Colombian creator Luis 'Westcol' Villa's Stream Fighters 4 boxing event reached 4.6 million concurrent viewers on October 18. The event featured Latin American influencers in boxing matches alongside live music and entertainment in Colombia.
Villa's stream alone accounted for 4 million of the concurrent viewers, with other broadcasters contributing smaller amounts. The viewership surpassed Stream Fighters 3, which had drawn 1.7 million viewers. During the event, Kick briefly exceeded both Twitch and YouTube in active viewers.
Despite the record, Spanish streamer Ibai's Velada del Año boxing series on Twitch previously reached twice Stream Fighters 4's audience numbers. Kick Head of Operations Ryan Webb said the event showed community response at unprecedented levels for the platform. The streaming platform faces ongoing challenges including viewbotting allegations and safety concerns as it attempts to capitalize on growth opportunities while industry leader Twitch deals with controversies.
YouTube released its Culture & Trends Report on October 21, 2025, analyzing the top 5,000 most-purchased products from the first half of 2025 and the top 1,000 videos by transaction volume during a 60-day period this year. The research, conducted with SmithGeiger, surveyed online users aged 14-49 to examine YouTube's shopping ecosystem.
The report found that 59% of Gen Z users reported their personal style was influenced by online content, while 61% said YouTube helped them discover new brands and products. Four elements drive purchasing behavior: creators as trusted sources, communities with shared product interests, content formats that facilitate shopping, and product trends that emerge when these elements converge.
Case studies featured creators including ChicOnTheCheap and CoryxKenshin, plus products like SACHEU's Peel Off Lip Liner. Communities in fragrance and home improvement demonstrated how expertise-driven content converts viewers to customers through shoppable links and detailed reviews.
Social media management platform Buffer analyzed 11.4 million TikTok posts from more than 150,000 accounts to determine optimal posting frequency. The study found accounts posting two to five times weekly generated 17% more views per post compared to those posting once weekly.
Buffer used fixed-effects regression to isolate posting frequency impacts. Accounts publishing 6-10 weekly posts saw 29% increases in per-post views, while those posting 11 or more times weekly achieved 34% boosts versus single-post accounts. The research revealed diminishing returns as frequency increased, with the steepest efficiency gains occurring in the transition from one post to the 2-5 post range.
Median views remained consistent around 500 views regardless of posting frequency. However, top-performing content showed different patterns. The 90th percentile of posts from accounts posting once weekly reached 3,722 views, while 2-5 posts weekly accounts hit 6,983 views. Buffer labeled this "Viral Potential," measuring the ratio between top and median performance.
New Balance announced Name, Image, and Likeness deals with nine women athletes across basketball, soccer, softball, and track on October 20, 2025. UCLA freshman forward Sienna Betts, ranked No. 2-3 in the 2025 high school class, received a multiyear footwear and apparel deal as the lead signing.
The roster includes Mexican soccer sisters Tatiana and Silvana Flores, who play in Liga MX Femenil. Tatiana brings over 1 million Instagram followers while playing for Tigres Femenil. Tennessee softball pitcher Karlyn Pickens, who holds the NCAA record for fastest pitch at 79.4 mph, joined from collegiate softball.
High school basketball player Jordan Smith Jr., ranked No. 3 in the 2026 class with a $1.4 million On3 NIL valuation, also signed. Track athletes from the U.S. and UK completed the announcement, though their names were not disclosed. New Balance re-entered basketball in 2018 and previously signed athletes including Coco Gauff at age 14, continuing its strategy of partnering with elite athletes before they reach professional ranks.
We Are Social Amsterdam reported that brands are hiring creators as full-time agency employees rather than contracting them for individual campaigns, responding to rising creator fees and demand for platform-native content. Sam Grischotti, managing director of We Are Social Amsterdam, said the agency embedded creator talent directly into client teams to provide faster content cycles and cultural fluency while maintaining brand alignment.
The agency founded its Amsterdam office in 2022 with a TikTok comedian as one of its first hires. We Are Social now uses internal creators to produce all content for Booking.com's TikTok account. The model allows agencies to scale creator expertise across global markets while reducing costs compared to traditional influencer partnerships.
Grischotti said agencies are recruiting creators from comedy schools, universities, and unconventional sources rather than focusing solely on follower counts. The approach requires agencies to adapt their approval processes to match creators' preference for rapid feedback loops and iterative content development rather than linear production methods.
Athletic Greens (AG1) announced a new Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) endorsement program targeting scientists instead of athletes, marking what the company called the first NIL program for researchers in health and nutrition. The nutrition supplement company signed three early-career scientists: Chidera Ejikeme from Brigham & Women's Hospital, Hannah Eberhardt from Florida State University, and Dr. Margaret Hilliard from UC Davis.
The program represents part of AG1's $20 million commitment to nutrition and metabolic health research over three years. The move contrasts with traditional NIL deals as the college athlete NIL market approaches $2 billion by 2026, according to Opendorse data.
AG1 recently formed a partnership with UC Davis and its Innovation Institute for Food and Health. The selected researchers focus on sleep health, nutrition gaps in athletes, and microbiome science respectively. The company's approach invests in scientific credibility rather than established audience reach, positioning the researchers as future leaders in health and nutrition science.
Electronic Arts launched its Battlefield Creator Program on October 28, offering content creators a challenge-based rewards system tied to the gaming franchise. The program allows participants to earn points through in-game performance and content creation, redeemable for digital items, merchandise, cash payments, and exclusive experiences.
Entry requirements include meeting audience thresholds of 50 average concurrent viewers on livestreams, 3,000 average views on long-form videos, 5,000 average views on short-form content, or 2,000 social media followers. Participants must be at least 18 years old with active EA and Battlefield accounts.
The program provides access to a private Discord server for creator collaboration and direct communication with EA representatives. Applications are reviewed based on culture fit, brand affinity, community presence, and relevant content, with decisions typically provided within one week.
The initiative coincides with strong performance from Battlefield 6, which sold seven million copies within three days of release, generating approximately $350 million in revenue according to Alinea Analytics. The program is available worldwide except in regions under regulatory restrictions including Iran, North Korea, Russia, and Cuba.
Husband-and-wife influencer team Richard and Helen Chalu generated more than £2 million in sales for Panache Cruises, a luxury cruise retailer based in Chorley. The couple operates the YouTube channel "Visit With Us," which has 71,000 subscribers and focuses on cruise and travel content.
The Chalus left their day jobs in 2020 at age 49 to become full-time content creators. They have completed 85 cruises and serve as exclusive ambassadors for Panache Cruises, which CEO James Cole founded in 2020. The company previously reported record turnover of £35 million.
The creators earn money through YouTube ad revenue and sales commissions from Panache. They average 10 cruises per year and produce 30-60 minute videos every 10 days. Richard Chalu, a former finance director, said Panache represents their only travel agent partnership. The couple, now 55, creates all original content without using stock footage or third-party clips.
E.l.f. Cosmetics became the first brand to test Twitch's new livestream shopping ads, announced October 16, 2025. The beauty company partnered with Amazon Ads to launch shoppable in-stream elements that allow viewers to purchase products directly through livestreams without leaving the platform.
E.l.f. initially deployed the feature on its Twitch channel E.l.f.YOU!, which has accumulated over 43.3 million cumulative minutes watched and nearly 24,000 followers since launching in 2020. The integration uses Amazon's retail media data for targeting and campaign measurement.
The announcement preceded TwitchCon San Diego 2025 and targets the holiday shopping season. Amazon owns Twitch but does not publicly share the platform's ad revenue. Previous reports indicated some streamers experienced declining earnings and the platform has struggled with profitability.
The move represents another attempt by Amazon to connect livestreaming with commerce, following earlier efforts that saw mixed results. Social commerce has seen slower adoption in the U.S. compared to other markets, though platforms like TikTok Shop have gained recent traction with consumers.
Interesting People
StreamerDap, a sponsorship platform connecting brands with livestreamers, added Twitch creator TheSushiDragon (Stefan Li) as co-owner through an equity partnership announced October 17. The deal positions Li to guide platform development and serve as brand ambassador for the company.
StreamerDap operates as a self-serve sponsorship platform with automated matchmaking between brands and creators. The platform includes real-time analytics, transparent reporting, automated #ad labeling, and chat-native calls-to-action designed to maintain Twitch Terms-of-Service compliance while minimizing stream interruptions.
Li joined StreamerDap's leadership following successful Beta testing that the company said converted part-time creators to full-time professionals. The platform cites TwitchTracker data showing livestreaming now surpasses 7 million active channels monthly. StreamerDap plans new educational features developed by Li, including creator tutorials for interactive brand moments, plus AI-powered brand safety capabilities and pay-per-click campaign options.
The partnership launched during TwitchCon 2025. StreamerDap operates under parent company Integrated Content Agency, described as a multi-million dollar digital branded content company.
Jonathan Skogmo, founder and CEO of travel media publisher LOST iN, launched a new user-generated content licensing division called "Voyager." The new division operates within LOST iN and focuses specifically on travel-related UGC, providing licensing services to brands, tourism organizations, and other entities seeking authentic travel and lifestyle content for marketing campaigns.
Skogmo previously built Jukin Media into a UGC licensing company throughout the 2010s before selling it to Trusted Media Brands in 2021. Voyager applies his established methodology for content sourcing and clearance at scale, but with specialized focus on the travel sector.
LOST iN, founded in 2014, publishes travel guidebooks and produces content across video, audio, editorial, and social platforms. The company now has more than 12 million followers across platforms and projects over $1 million in advertising revenue by year-end, with nearly 70% coming from advertising and branded partnerships.
Collective Voice, a creator monetization platform serving 140,000 creators and 22,000 brands, appointed Amani Richardson as its new Creator-in-Residence in October 2025. The company reported a 42% increase in creator retention since launching the Creator-in-Residence program in March 2025, along with a 35% lift in affiliate linking activity across its network.
Richardson replaced Chanel Tyler, who led the inaugural phase of the program. The Creator-in-Residence initiative embeds creator expertise into the company's education, product development, and community engagement efforts through workshops, tutorials, and mentorship.
Collective Voice also launched two new product features: a Gifting Portal marketplace for managing brand partnerships and an enhanced AI-powered Instagram direct message automation tool called "Smart Reply." The platform provides affiliate tools, brand partnerships, and educational resources to help creators build sustainable businesses through link-in-bio storefronts, automated messaging, and real-time analytics.
Utah-based real estate agents Jake and Sean Taylor-Baumann built a creator empire after their triplets' birth story video generated 25 million views in one week. The couple, who document their journey as gay fathers after leaving the Mormon church, gained one million TikTok followers within a month of going viral.
The pair signed with talent management company Illuminate Social six months after their viral moment to professionalize their content operations. They maintain dual careers in real estate while creating family content across platforms under handles @daddiestothree and @realtorhubbies.
Their content focuses on LGBTQ+ parenting representation, particularly their surrogacy journey that resulted in triplets Wren, Willow, and Winston. After experiencing a miscarriage with their first surrogate, they successfully completed the process with a second surrogate who had previously delivered triplets herself.
Jake handles content strategy and is developing a memoir, while both creators emphasize authentic brand partnerships that align with their lifestyle and values, avoiding collaborations that could compromise audience trust.
YouTube creator MrBeast filed a trademark application for "MrBeast Financial" with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on October 13 through Beast Holdings, LLC. The application outlined plans for a software-as-a-service platform offering online banking and investment services.
The trademark filing detailed cryptocurrency-focused services including exchange capabilities, crypto payment processing, and financial exchanges through decentralized platforms. MrBeast, whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson, operates YouTube's most subscribed individual channel with over 445 million subscribers. Media reports identified the 27-year-old as the world's youngest self-made billionaire.
The financial services venture represented part of a broader business expansion strategy. Business Insider reported last month that Donaldson planned to launch a mobile phone service, demonstrating his diversification beyond YouTube content creation. The trademark application included standard consent language required when filings identify a living individual, noting that "MrBeast" refers to James Donaldson.
Young content creators shifted away from polished, curated social media content toward unfiltered, candid videos in 2025. TikTok creator Jake Kind, known as Goobi Gubbi, amassed nearly 700,000 followers using spontaneous, camera-shaking videos with his late grandmother. Kind emphasized avoiding overproduction and posting at least one video daily.
Creator Victoria Paris built 2 million TikTok followers by posting more than 10 videos daily to increase visibility. Marketing consultant Lindsey Gamble noted creators can produce content faster with minimal editing, allowing rapid iteration and results. TikTok's algorithm favors cellphone-shot videos over studio content, unlike YouTube's shift toward polished production.
The strategy requires quantity over quality, with some creators posting multiple times daily. Gamble warned risks include oversharing personal details and spreading misinformation without fact-checking. TikTok's algorithm prevents oversaturation by not showing all creator posts simultaneously, unlike Instagram or YouTube. Success depends on building audiences within specific niches rather than maximizing follower counts for monetization and brand partnerships.
Industry News
Popular Twitch streamer Emiru reported being assaulted during a fan meet-and-greet at TwitchCon San Diego on October 17, 2025. Video footage showed a male attendee grabbing the streamer and attempting to kiss her before her personal security guard intervened. Emiru, who has nearly 2 million Twitch followers and co-owns gaming brand One True King, criticized TwitchCon security staff for not reacting and allowing the assailant to walk away.
Twitch initially planned a 30-day suspension for the individual before implementing an indefinite ban after Emiru objected. The platform announced enhanced security measures including additional personnel and elimination of plus-one accommodations at meet-and-greets.
The incident validated pre-existing safety concerns from female streamers. Valkyrae and QTCinderella had canceled their TwitchCon appearances a month prior, citing safety fears. Pokimane also withdrew from the event, noting risks where creators' locations are publicly known. The San Diego Police Department confirmed receiving a report but made no arrests.
Later and Mavely announced they would host Swipe Up: The Creator Commerce Summit on November 3 in Chicago. The conference represents the first major collaboration since Later's acquisition of Mavely in 2024, combining both platforms' communities to connect creators with brands and provide business growth tools.
The event builds on years of successful Later and Mavely creator meetups, evolving those gatherings into an annual flagship summit. Keynote speaker Krista Williams, a self-love coach, will headline the event alongside panelists including Varshini Satish from Snapchat, Lauren Vilips, and Mavely creators Kallie Davis, Keesh Deesh, and Jen Taylor.
The summit targets what the companies call "Everyday Influencers" - creators building audiences from home, small businesses converting followers to customers, and brands seeking long-term partnerships beyond single posts. Workshops will focus on affiliate success strategies and business diversification to help creators navigate changing algorithms and trends.
Both companies position themselves as serving the creator economy, with Later providing social media management software and Mavely operating a performance-driven influencer marketing platform that generates hundreds of millions in annual sales for brand partners.
Saudi startup KLIQ raised $2.25 million in seed funding to expand its AI-powered influencer marketing platform. The company, co-founded by CEO Asma'a AlMaraghi, secured backing from Sanabil Venture Studio, a subsidiary of Sanabil Investments, in partnership with Stryber.
KLIQ operates a platform that uses AI to analyze campaign goals and audience data to match brands with creators. The system consolidates campaign management into a single dashboard for marketing teams while providing creators with payment guarantees and transparent timelines.
The funding supports Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 strategy, which includes investment in attracting content creators. The kingdom reported a 40% year-over-year increase in seven-figure earning YouTube creators as of December 2024. The investment comes as creators like MrBeast establish formal partnerships in the region, including a collaboration with Riyadh Season 2025.
KLIQ plans to enhance its personalization features, expand reporting capabilities, and add new tools for creator campaign management.
The creator economy reached $250 billion globally in 2025, with YouTube becoming the top streaming platform, surpassing Netflix and Amazon for the first time. The industry contributed $55 billion to U.S. GDP in 2024, equivalent to nearly 500,000 jobs, according to Oxford Economics. Goldman Sachs projected the sector will grow to $480 billion by 2027.
Hollywood companies accelerated partnerships with creators following the writers' strike. Netflix signed educational creator Rachel Accurso (Ms. Rachel) for four episodes in January, while co-CEO Ted Sarandos announced active recruitment of internet talent. Tubi launched "Tubi for Creators" in June, bringing episodic content from creators including Jubilee, Rhett and Link, and Watcher to its platform with over 500 episodes.
Unilever announced plans to allocate 50 percent of its media budget to creators while multiplying creator partnerships by 20 times. Sponsored content deals were expected to exceed $10 billion in 2025. The shift toward livestreaming grew substantially, with Twitch viewers watching over 20 billion hours in 2024.
Creator marketing agency Influencer hired two former TikTok executives to fill leadership positions. Anastasia Evans joined as vice president of growth after leading TikTok's Creative Solutions unit across Europe and working at social ad agency Whalar in London and Singapore.
Emily Eldridge became director of commerce following her role leading TikTok Shop UK, where she built the affiliate network to more than 2,500 creators. She previously held senior digital roles at COS and Flannels, where she developed global social strategy and managed creator campaigns.
Influencer was co-founded in 2015 by Ben Jeffries and Caspar Lee. The London-based agency operates with 170 staff across North America, Europe, and the Middle East. The company works with brands including Spotify, SharkNinja, Google, Amazon, Monzo, Wonderskin, and Meta.
The Hollywood Reporter held its second annual Creators A-List Dinner on October 15, 2024, at Matsuhisa in Beverly Hills to celebrate its list of 50 top influencers. Facebook presented the event, with Gersh and Blacklane as sponsors.
Meta's Vice President of Product Ime Archibong addressed attendees about Facebook's creator monetization opportunities, highlighting the platform's 3 billion monthly users globally. He announced Facebook's new AI-powered video translation feature launched two weeks prior, which automatically translates English content to Spanish while syncing lip movements.
A panel discussion featured four creators: Drew Afualo (podcaster and social media personality), Michael Blaustein (comedian), Boman Martinez-Reid (Kardashian content creator), and Hasan Piker (political commentator who streams eight hours daily on Twitch). Other attendees included David Dobrik, Zane Hijazi, Noah Beck, Emma Brooks, Connor Wood, Adam Waheed, and Dhar Mann.
The event included representatives from Gersh talent agency and multiple Meta executives, marking the entertainment industry's continued emphasis on digital creator partnerships and platform monetization strategies.
Registration Required
TikTok Shop merchants are frustrated by the platform's new mandatory ad tool, GMV Max, which only promotes videos linking to TikTok Shop instead of merchants' own websites. The policy requires sellers participating in major promotions like Black Friday to purchase these ads. Merchants complain GMV Max reduces sales by limiting which creator videos get promoted and delays identifying viral content. The tool also locks brands into higher spending commitments than planned.
Without access to customer emails from TikTok Shop purchases, merchants struggle to build direct relationships with buyers. Many are considering shifting ad budgets to competitor platforms. The changes come amid uncertainty about TikTok's U.S. ownership sale and highlight conflicting interests between TikTok's commerce ambitions and merchants' preference for driving traffic to their own sites.
MrBeast's legal battle with Virtual Dining Concepts returned to court this week as the restaurant company's $100 million countersuit moves forward. The YouTube star dropped his original lawsuit against VDC over quality issues with MrBeast Burger, leaving him exposed to damages claims. Court documents revealed damaging texts where MrBeast called VDC executives "pieces of shit" and vowed to let the brand "slowly die."
VDC alleges MrBeast's public disparagement destroyed vendor relationships and caused nine-figure damages across 1,700 global locations. The case highlights creator economy risks when influencers lose control of licensed ventures. MrBeast aims for $4.78 billion annual revenue by 2029, planning major chain partnerships after resolving the lawsuit.
OnlyFans CEO Keily Blair announced the platform has paid creators $25 billion since its 2016 launch, speaking Tuesday at Bloomberg Tech in London. The company generates revenue by taking 20% of all transactions on its platform. While known for adult content, Blair emphasized OnlyFans hosts diverse creator categories including comedy, sports, and cooking. Cricketer Tymal Mills joined Blair onstage, highlighting how athletes from lower-paying sports use the platform to supplement income.
The London-based company has explored sale offers at an $8 billion valuation, though Blair declined to comment on potential deals. Owner Leonid Radvinsky received $497 million in dividends in 2024 and $204 million through April 2025. The platform experienced explosive growth during COVID-19 lockdowns as creators sought alternative income sources.
Tom Jia, a 28-year-old Chinese lifestyle influencer with 400,000 followers, monetized the "lying flat" movement by creating content about affordable living across China. Jia quit his job in Shenzhen in 2023, purchased an RV, and began traveling to document low-cost cities for young Chinese rejecting traditional career pressures.
Jia developed a spreadsheet rating over 100 cities on criteria including affordability, public transit, and access to nature. His content includes apartment tours, resident interviews, and neighborhood reviews. Streaming revenue and viewer donations now cover approximately half his monthly expenses.
The business model capitalized on China's economic downturn following the 2021 housing market collapse, which created surplus apartments in smaller cities. Jia relocated from expensive Shenzhen to Kunming, where his new apartment costs one-fifth of his previous rent while offering mountain views. His content serves young Chinese seeking alternatives to high-pressure urban lifestyles and expensive housing markets in major cities.
ByteDance agreed to sell TikTok's US business to a consortium led by Oracle's Larry Ellison in a $14 billion deal to comply with federal divestment requirements. The White House said Oracle will audit TikTok's content-recommendation algorithm, which will be "retrained and operated in the United States outside of ByteDance's control."
TikTok employees and creators expressed concerns about maintaining the algorithm's performance after the sale. The algorithm uses multiple data points about user behavior to predict content preferences, making it technically complex to transfer without degrading functionality.
ByteDance is expected to retain a minority stake while relinquishing control over US data and operations. The divestment law prohibits cooperation between ByteDance and TikTok's new owners on the recommendation algorithm. One former TikTok product staffer said retraining the thousands of models powering the algorithm "will literally take years."
Creators like Winta Zesu, who has 1 million followers, and travel creator Gabby Beckford worried the retrained algorithm could lose its global perspective and personalization capabilities that differentiate TikTok from competitors.