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If you’re finding value in our Creator Economy newsletter, I encourage you to consider subscribing to The Information. It contains exclusive reporting on the most important stories in tech. Save up to $250 on your first year of access. Hello! Kaya and Sylvia here. On Sunday, our team scooped that TikTok is planning a new version of its app for users in the U.S. ahead of a planned sale of the app to a group of investors. The news is generating a lot of buzz—and a lot of questions—among creators, everyday users of the app and TikTok employees and business partners who weren’t aware of the plans and are wondering what comes next. On Reddit, some users fretted about what would happen to their existing data, while other creators posted videos questioning why the company hasn’t said anything and whether TikTok would eventually shut down for good. To provide some clarity, here’s a breakdown of what we know—and what we’re still reporting on. (If you’re a TikTok employee or involved with the U.S. deal, please reach out securely over Signal to Kaya: kaya.70, or Sylvia: sylviavo.11) What we know: • The new app is only for users in the U.S. The law that forces TikTok to divest from its Chinese owners or face a ban only applies in the U.S., so the company is preparing to sell its U.S. business, specifically. Because of that, it doesn’t need to create a new global app. • The new app is due to launch on U.S. app stores on September 5. On the same day, if the company executes its plan, the current version of TikTok will be removed from the app stores. The existing version will still work for those who have it on their phone until March, but TikTok will encourage users in the U.S. to download the new version. It’s also worth remembering that timelines for projects at tech companies can change! • The new app’s internal codename at TikTok is “M2.” This is just a name used by staff as shorthand for the project; publicly, the app will still be known as TikTok. • Sometime in March 2026, the current version will be shut down in the U.S. The idea is that by then, most of TikTok’s U.S. users would have moved over to the new app. (Whether that goes smoothly is another question altogether as convincing 170 million monthly American users to download a new app is no easy feat.) • Users will be able to move their existing profiles over to the new app, rather than having to build from scratch. Details are a bit scant on the mechanics of this but we will update you as we learn more. • ByteDance is also planning a U.S. version of its popular video editing app CapCut, Business Insider reported Monday. The U.S. law forcing a divesture or ban of TikTok also applies to other ByteDance-owned apps, so it makes sense that TikTok’s parent company would do the same for its other apps. • A group of non-Chinese investors including Oracle is expected to buy TikTok’s U.S. business, while the app’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, is expected to retain a minority stake. New investors could include Andreessen Horowitz and Blackstone. What we don’t know (yet): • What TikTok has to say about this. The company has not responded to our requests for comment and has not put out any public statements on the plans for a new app just yet. • Whether building a new app was required by the Trump administration or investors under the planned sale deal. • When (or if) the sale will go through. President Donald Trump has extended a deadline to reach a deal three times. The latest word from the White House: On Friday, Trump said that the U.S. was close to a deal for the American operations of TikTok and his administration would start talking to the Chinese government early this week about the plan. But the China has to approve any deal, which remains the biggest hurdle. • If the new TikTik will differ at all from the current one. It’s unclear if the new U.S. app will have the same algorithm and look as the existing app, and if it will show videos from global users, or only those based in the U.S. As part of the deal structure worked out in April, the new TikTok U.S. unit would license the algorithm from ByteDance. Here’s what else is going on… See The Information’s Creator Economy Database for an exclusive list of private companies and their investors. YouTube is updating its rules to improve how it identifies “mass-produced and repetitious” content. It’s part of an effort to crack down on people who make money on YouTube by reuploading other creators’ content. Starting July 15, these channels will have to “change it significantly” to be able to earn revenue from YouTube’s Partner Program. Amazon is upping commissions to influencers by as much as double from July 1-20, coinciding with its annual discount event Prime Day, Adweek reported. LinkedIn is partnering with a number of third-party social media management tools including Hootsuite and Later so that LinkedIn users can track their profile and post analytics to see follower insights, video analytics and other information via APIs. Instagram announced new features on the “Ideas” tab of its editing app Edits, such as the ability to save audio clips, leave virtual “stickie” notes on audio clips you want to create with, and mark sickies, such as to-do lists, as done. Glossier will begin selling items on TikTok Shop, according to FastCo. It’s the latest move by the beauty company to expand where it sells products, including launching in Sephora in 2023. The timing is certainly interesting! Thank you for reading the Creator Economy Newsletter! I’d love your feedback, ideas and tips: kaya@theinformation.com. If you think someone else might enjoy this newsletter, please pass it forward or they can sign up here: https://www.theinformation.com/newsletters/creator-economy | 
