Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian is not shying away from his opinions on the potential TikTok ban in the U.S.
In an Instagram post on Thursday that’s now been viewed over 8,200 times, Ohanian explained that he’s “been advocating for something to happen for the last three or four years” when it comes to the social media app and how it is being used in the country.
“No American social media companies are allowed to operate in China, so as a matter of reciprocity, why are we letting a Chinese-owned social media company operate in America,” he asked viewers. “I don’t think it should be banned, I think it should be sold.”
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Ohanian hypothesized which companies or media conglomerates could potentially take control, mentioning Amazon, Walmart, and even Meta as options.
But Ohanian would prefer someone not in the “tech elite.”
“There are plenty of folks who are very interested in buying TikTok who are not already part of the social media tech elite who would be great candidates and I hope that’s the outcome we get,” he said.
Earlier this week, a bipartisan bill called the “Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act” passed 352-65 in the House, which would require TikTok to separate from Chinese-operated ByteDance within six months or be banned from usage in the U.S.
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The bill will move to the Senate, and, if passed, go to the desk of U.S. President Joe Biden, who has indicated that he would sign it.
“We are hopeful that the Senate will consider the facts, listen to their constituents, and realize the impact on the economy, seven million small businesses, and the 170 million Americans who use our service,” a TikTok spokesperson said in a statement earlier this week.
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