"Deal with the devil" - Shark Tank fans react to Kevin O'Leary's update on US-China negotiations to save Tiktok

Preksha
Shark Tank investor Kevin O
Shark Tank investor Kevin O'Leary (Image via ABC)

Kevin O'Leary, the Shark Tank investor, had recently sat down for an interview with Fox Business and spoke about the future of TikTok in America. Updating on the topic, he revealed that there are ongoing negotiations between the US and China to settle on a deal that favors both parties.

ByteDance, the company that owns TikTok, has been under scrutiny among American lawmakers for a while now for data and privacy concerns. This has led to the government taking action, and at one point, the app was about to go dark in the country.

However, the Trump Administration is now involved in trying to save TikTok. Kevin revealed that figures such as JD Vance and Michael Waltz are now trying to find an appropriate bid so that the app could continue in America.

The Shark Tank investor also thinks that this is a good opportunity for Trump and Xi to cooperate and form a tech agreement. It is also a perfect time, according to Kevin, for Xi to earn his spot among the G7 countries as he has been trying to enter the union for a while now.

Shark Tank fans, reacting to the segment, expressed how they are against the idea of any deal with the Chinese government. A Twitter user by the name @cosmicneoart said,

"A deal with China is a deal with the devil."

Shark Tank fans react to Kevin suggesting a TikTok deal between US and China

Kevin O'Leary suggests that a deal between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping is happening to save TikTok. They are hoping to keep the app's algorithm working because that is what matters the most.

Kevin also points to Yi Ming, the owner of ByteDance, and says that he needs to be on board with the deal as well because of the majority of shares with him.

Netizens, even after a deal between the two countries goes down, are concerned about their privacy and China's intentions towards America. Talking about the same, a user named @meowkittycopter wrote,

"Just make sure you're not getting ripped off. Doesn't seem fair for Chinese apps to flood the West and not the other way around. Very one-way for a 'union'"
"Have we learned nothing from the infamous Trojan Horse?" said @Stweets4two
"Funny as hell. They have 3x the population, they have all the money that the US has been sending them through purchases for decades, and they have a deep hatred for all things American. They’re not going to do anything against their official policy, which is to defeat the US," wrote @canadabestest

Other fans criticized Kevin O'Leary for advocating relations between USA and China, given that he is a citizen of Canada. A user named @Marco44835635 said,

"This guy is like a snake, just swings from the US to Canada and now China, what’s wrong with him?"

Kevin has previously shared that he and Frank McCourt are offering a deal to buy TikTok's algorithm for $20 billion. That deal has not materialized yet however, he still hopes that soon, they could be a part of the same.

Fans do not think that this is the case and claim that the Trump Administration will not choose their bid because they are not "big players" in the industry. A user by the name of @canada4evah on Instagram, under the same video shared by the investor, wrote,

"You’ll never get it, they want bigger players and you’re just small potatoes"

Shark Tank Season 16 releases new episodes weekly on ABC at 8 PM Eastern Time on Fridays. Later, they can be streamed online through Hulu.

Edited by Priscillah Mueni
comments icon

What's your opinion?
Newest
Best
Oldest