Can we consider Mark Zuckerberg really the power behind the throne?
Relations between Zuckerberg and Durov.
When Facebook Inc. Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg delivered a speech about freedom of expression in Washington, D.C., last fall, he was said to raise the alarm about the threat from Chinese tech companies and, more specifically, the popular video-sharing app TikTok.
The Wall Street Journal, citing sources claimed to be familiar with the issue, announced that Zuckerberg told Donald Trump that the growth of Chinese IT companies posed a direct threat to American businesses. Tucked into the speech was a line pointing to Facebook’s rising rival: Mr. Zuckerberg told Georgetown students that TikTok doesn’t share Facebook’s commitment to freedom of expression, and represents a risk to American values.
In addition, the head of Facebook allegedly discussed TikTok in meetings before with several senators. After that, Senators Tom Cotton and Chuck Schumer initiated an investigation into TikTok.
The publication notes that Facebook created a support group called American Edge, which began placing ads praising US tech companies for their contributions to American economic power, national security, and cultural influence. According to the WSJ, citing data from the Center for Responsible Policy (CRP), Facebook spent more on lobbying in the first half of this year than any other single company.
Furthermore, Facebook spokesman Andy Stone confirmed that Zuckerberg did not say anything about the TikTok during the dinner in October 2019. He also added that
it was ridiculous to assume that the long-standing concerns about national security raised by politicians were only shaped by Mark’s statements about the wide disparity between Chinese values and Facebook idols of democratic rights and liberty of speech.
There is another version that Zuckerberg prevented Pavel Durov from launching TON and Gram. Ostensibly, senators were not satisfied with Libra, the cryptocurrency from Facebook. Zuckerberg did not like the feeling of being under pressure, but Durov with his crypt didn’t have such experience, so he decided to draw the attention of so-called «needed» people to the Russian project. By the way,
Pavel Durov has surpassed Mark Zuckerberg in the CrunchBase rating of businessmen: now Pavel is in 26th place, and Mark is on 29th. Elon Musk is in the first place.
Could it be a trigger?
Early August 2020, Trump issued a decree banning the Chinese TikTok app and the WeChat messenger in the United States. TikTok can avoid blocking if it is bought by one of the American businesses: Microsoft, as well as Twitter and Oracle, are said to be interested in the purchase. On August 24, it was announced that TikTok appealed in court against Trump’s decree in court.
What’s next, Mark?
