September 26, 2025
TikTok (US Version) Could Save Marketing Access to Gen Z
TikTok has been the golden child of social media for the last couple of years, doubling from around 750 million users in 2022 to 1.5 billion in 2024. As a marketer’s dream, especially with the decline of Twitter/X, everything seemed rosy in terms of customer engagement through punky, irreverent videos, until the politicians got involved.
Now there’s confirmation that a “US” of TikTok will split off from the parent Chinese company, ByteDance, giving marketing teams across the west continued access to a massive and engaged Gen Z audience.
With a sigh of relief, companies should be able to continue their brand awareness efforts, building authentic connections, all through the joys of short-form videos and integrated retail services.
New TikTok, Same Old Agenda
The new entity, valued at $14 billion, will be 65% owned by US investors led by Oracle. The new app will use a licensed copy of the original’s powerful recommendation algorithm. ByteDance and Chinese investors will own less than 20% with the UAE royal family also taking a stake through their investment arm.
In charge will be a new board of directors from cybersecurity and national security backgrounds, even as security concerns remain. Ironically the original app sparked concerns about China spreading misinformation, now that focus has turned to Donald Trump spreading his own agenda on the app! Note that TikTok has just revealed its 6th Disinformation Report on how it addresses the problem.
Outside the political hoo-hah, brands like Ryanair and PlayStation continue to win hearts and minds on TikTok. And back at TikTok HQ, the company has just announced its 2025 TikTok Change Makers Program and is hiring around the world to continue growth. The latest version of the iOS app also saw a major update with native iPad support for larger screens.
For customer engagement, TikTok will only continue to boom, especially among younger-focused brands. But as Facebook and Twitter/X continue their social die-off, we can only wonder how long TikTok’s time in the sun will last. And what comes next.
