The clock is set to run out on TikTok over the weekend, following the Supreme Court’s ruling to uphold the ban (https://techcrunch.com/2025/01/17/supreme-court-upholds-tiktok-ban/) . So, what’s next for the video-sharing app’s 170 million U.S. users?
On today’s episode of TechCrunch’s Equity (https://techcrunch.com/podcasts/equity/) podcast, hosts Kirsten Korosec, Margaux MacColl and Anthony Ha dive into the week’s biggest stories, including where all the ‘TikTok refugees’ are heading. Many are flocking to Chinese apps like RedNote (https://techcrunch.com/2025/01/13/xiaohongshu-rednote-chinas-answer-to-instagram-hits-no-1-on-the-app-store-as-tiktok-faces-us-shutdown/) and Lemon8 (https://techcrunch.com/2024/09/16/as-tiktok-ban-heads-to-court-bytedances-lemon8-surges/) , with some even turning to Duolingo (https://techcrunch.com/2025/01/15/duolingo-sees-216-spike-in-u-s-users-learning-chinese-amid-tiktok-ban-and-move-to-rednote/) to brush up on their Mandarin as they search for new digital homes.
Listen to the full episode to hear about:
• How Maki (https://techcrunch.com/2025/01/15/as-gen-z-job-applicants-balloon-companies-are-turning-to-ai-agent-recruiters/) and Synthesia (https://techcrunch.com/2025/01/14/synthesia-snaps-up-180m-on-a-2-1b-valuation-for-its-b2b-ai-video-platform/) are rethinking the recruitment process – and yes, it involves AI.
•
Colossal Biosciences’ colossal raise (https://techcrunch.com/2025/01/15/colossal-biosciences-raises-200m-at-10-2b-valuation-to-bring-back-woolly-mammoths/) . Where will the woolly mammoths go? Did we learn nothing from Jurassic Park?
•
Powerset’s (https://techcrunch.com/2025/01/14/powerset-gives-founders-1-million-to-invest-in-other-startups/) decentralized venture fund, and the challenges ahead for mid-size venture firms (https://techcrunch.com/2025/01/13/top-new-york-vc-ben-lerer-says-more-mid-sized-vc-firms-are-heading-for-failure/) .
• And finally, are we stepping into risky territory with AI companions (https://techcrunch.com/2024/12/12/amid-lawsuits-and-criticism-character-ai-announces-new-teen-safety-tools/) , from falling in love with ChatGPT (https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/15/technology/ai-chatgpt-boyfriend-companion.html) to making an AI chatbot say it loves you (https://techcrunch.com/2024/12/06/if-you-can-make-this-ai-bot-fall-in-love-you-could-win-thousands-of-dollars/) ?
Equity will be back next week, so stay tuned!
Equity is TechCrunch’s flagship podcast, produced by Theresa Loconsolo, and posts every Wednesday and Friday.
Subscribe to us on (https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id1215439780) Apple Podcasts (https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id1215439780) , Overcast (https://overcast.fm/itunes1215439780/equity) , Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/5IEYLip3eDppcOmy5DmphC?si=rZDFHv2sQUul_g94iCRgpQ) and all the casts. You also can follow Equity on X (https://twitter.com/EquityPod) and Threads (https://www.threads.net/@equitypod) , at @EquityPod. For the full episode transcript, for those who prefer reading over listening, check out our full archive of episodes here (https://techcrunch.com/podcasts/equity/) .
Credits: Equity is produced by Theresa Loconsolo with editing by Kell. We’d also like to thank TechCrunch’s audience development team. Thank you so much for listening, and we’ll talk to you next time.
