TikTok’s strategic shift: splitting source code to establish US-only algorithm

Key Points:

• Independence Effort: TikTok is working on a US-specific algorithm to demonstrate its independence from its Chinese parent company, ByteDance.
• Executive Discussions: Internal discussions reveal concerns about the project’s potential impact on TikTok’s engineering capabilities.
• Official Denials: TikTok denies any plans for divestiture, emphasizing its commitment to data security and transparency.

In a bid to reassure US lawmakers and fortify its American operations, TikTok is reportedly developing a recommendation algorithm exclusively for the United States. According to a Reuters report, this effort has been underway since last year and involves creating a separate codebase from Douyin, the Chinese counterpart operated by ByteDance. Sources indicate that this ambitious project, aimed at proving TikTok’s operational independence from Beijing, might take over a year to complete.

Executives have openly discussed this initiative during company-wide meetings and on Lark, TikTok’s internal messaging platform. However, concerns have been raised about the potential downside: severing TikTok from the substantial engineering resources of ByteDance.

In response to these reports, TikTok has categorically denied any misrepresentation of its intentions. The company tweeted, “The Reuters story published today is misleading and factually inaccurate.” Michael Hughes, a TikTok spokesperson, reiterated in communications with The Verge that the suggestion of a potential divestiture is “100 percent false,” emphasizing ongoing efforts to safeguard user data and platform integrity.

This development follows previous attempts by TikTok to showcase its commitment to US independence, most notably through “Project Texas,” a data silo initiative aimed at securing American user data. Despite these efforts, skepticism remains high, with some experts viewing these moves as insufficient to prevent a potential US ban.

Additionally, TikTok is currently embroiled in a legal battle with the US government, challenging a law that mandates ByteDance to relinquish control of the app by January 19, 2025, or face a ban. Although unnamed sources suggest no immediate plans for corporate separation, the completion of the algorithm split could pave the way for a future divestiture of TikTok’s US operations.