Former TikTok CEO Kevin Mayer on Algorithm Oversight and Disney's Kimmel Controversy

TikTok Deal and Data Security

• 🤝 The proposed deal to keep TikTok operating in the US involves ByteDance owning less than 20%, with new high-quality investors like Silverlake Partners and Andreessen Horowitz.
• 🛡️ Oracle is set to oversee data safety and the algorithm, addressing concerns about data flowing to the Chinese Communist Party.
• 🧐 The deal aims to solve concerns about the algorithm being used for propaganda by having Oracle oversee separate instances of the algorithm on supported servers.

Algorithm Operability and Oversight

• 💡 Kevin Mayer believes American engineers have the capability to understand, update, and operate the TikTok algorithm independently.
• ⚙️ He suggests that over time, there could be two divergent code bases for the algorithm, one in China and one managed by Oracle in the US.
• ❓ The details of how the algorithm code will be managed and updated remain somewhat murky, but the intent is to ensure transparency and prevent a "black box" scenario.

Disney and Jimmy Kimmel Situation

• 😥 Mayer describes the situation with Jimmy Kimmel's show as tricky, acknowledging the pressure on Disney CEO Bob Iger from local affiliates threatening to not air the show.
• 🤝 He respects Iger's decision, noting it was a tough call between appeasing affiliates and retaining a great talent.
• 🤷 Mayer is unsure how much of the pressure on Iger was political versus business-driven, stating that both factors could have been at play.

Brand Damage and Affiliate Dynamics

• ⚠️ Disney faces potential brand damage regardless of the decision, with half the country potentially upset if the show is removed and the other half if it's reinstated.
• 🧮 The dynamic between Disney and its affiliates is complex, with affiliates needing programming like the Super Bowl, but also having the ability to