So everyone here is probably like “please do it” but I do wonder how the general populace would react. Would people actually miss TikTok if it just disappeared?

Nope. They'd probably move to YouTube shorts or some other lower quality copy of Vine.

Which is in my opinion the actual goal here… The USA talks about free market and crap but usually cannot compete unless they make the rules, set the referees, start with double the money, can’t go to jail and charge triple passing go

Either tiktok becomes an American company or leaves… Ah, the free market has spoken

Either tiktok becomes an American company or leaves… Ah, the free market has spoken

People keep saying this and I’m struggling to understand where this idea is coming from. The bill isn’t saying that they have to sell TikTok to a US company. They don’t have to sell it to the US government, or an owner in the US. Just divorce the company from explicit control by the Chinese government. Currently, the government can request any data they want from TikTok and they are obligated to provided it. Similarly, business laws in China mean that the government can also push changes down into the company, like a tweak to the algorithm to influence foreign perceptions of a topic for example.

The requirements laid out in this bill are meant to break that obligation and influence. It doesn’t say who should own the company - only who shouldn’t.