特朗普下令,字节跳动必须在9月中旬前为其TikTok美国业务找到一个买家,并称这家社交媒体平台存在安全隐患。
TikTok本月22日宣布,公司将起诉特朗普政府,以阻止这次强制出售。然而与此同时,像甲骨文和Twitter这类合适的候选公司已就购买TikTok与字节跳动进行了谈判。然而正在就收购进行协商的微软才是最有可能的买家。
与其他科技巨头不同的是,这家位于华盛顿州雷蒙德的软件公司以其B2B销售业务为主打,而不是消费业务。那为什么微软想将TikTok揽入怀中呢?为了寻找答案,《财富》翻阅了大量的分析师报告,并携手SurveyMonkey于8月17-18日*对2478名美国成年人进行了调查,以了解他们对社交媒体的态度以及使用规律。
TikTok + 领英将让微软成为社交媒体巨头
TikTok的新用户增速远超大部分社交媒体。然而《财富》的调查显示,仅有11%的美国成年人使用这一应用,依然远低于其竞争对手。用户数量最多的平台是Facebook(65%)和Facebook旗下Instagram(35%)。然而,TikTok的内部数据给出的用户占比则要高得多,而且这其中的差距可能源于一个事实:TikTok很大一部分用户群都在18岁以下,因此并不在《财富》的调查之列。
然而对于微软来说,如果TikTok再配上美国成人使用占比达到20%的领英,那么微软将有资格在社交媒体领域与顶级选手Facebook一决高下。微软在2016年以262亿美元的价格收购了领英。
将TikTok纳入麾下能够让微软成为数字广告业务的佼佼者。eMarketer的数据显示,这一领域70%的市场份额归属于谷歌、Facebook和亚马逊。
Wedbush Securities股票研究业务董事总经理丹·艾维斯在8月的微软评估中写道:“微软购买TikTok以及其美国业务可以解决该应用的安全问题,而且能够让雷蒙德获得消费社交媒体领域的一个香饽饽,而此时,其他FAANG同行(Facebook、Alphabet)都在经历大规模的反垄断监管审查,因此无法触碰TikTok资产。”有意思的是,当被问及拟议出售时,50%的公众称他们并不同意强制出售TikTok。
TikTok将让微软俘获Z一代
在18-24岁的年龄段中,仅有17%的人使用微软旗下领英。就TikTok而言,这个数字则超过了两倍,达到了42%。在这些青年成年人中,仅有Instagram (82%), Twitter (46%)和Facebook (46%)有着更高的用户占比。
将TikTok收入囊中不仅会提升微软社交媒体中的Z一代受众数量,同时也会帮助公司在今后成为消费业务领域更大的参与者。
这一豪赌将实现微软业务的多元化
Wedbush称,在微软1.6万亿的市值中,约90%来自于企业云策略,包括Azure和Office 365。收购TikTok将帮助微软实现其业务的多元化,并找到新的业务增长点。
艾维斯在其8月对微软的评估中写道:“公司的消费策略依然处于飘忽不定的状态,而对TikTok的果断收购(或策略投资)则意味着微软已经下定了决心,并尝试与包括Facebook在内的其他科技巨头进行竞争。从公司管理层和董事会角度来看,我们认为这是这10年难得一见的机遇,而且还可以轻易地拿到异常划算的收购价格。”
简而言之:将TikTok收入麾下,再加上Xbox和领英,意味着微软将押注重金,拉近这家B2B公司与消费者的距离。
艾维斯写道:“微软在过去5年所做的任何赌注都是无可争辩的,不过,公司一直在用欲盖弥彰的消费策略来掩盖其缺失的一环,如今,这个空缺可以通过TikTok以及价值重估/分类加总估值来弥补。”
反垄断调查让Facebook无缘TikTok资产
《财富》与SurveyMonkey在6月25-26日对1276名美国成年人所做的调查显示,在美国成年人中,呼吁对Facebook (48%)与亚马逊 (31%)进行反垄断调查的比例最高。在美国最大的五家科技公司中,要求对微软进行反垄断调查(20%)或拆分(12%)的比例最低。
上个月,亚马逊、苹果、Facebook、谷歌均前往国会参加众议院反垄断委员会举行的听证会。然而,微软首席执行官萨特亚·纳德拉收到的则是无需参会的通知。
这一切都意味着,微软并不像其他大型科技公司那样面临着同样的反垄断问题,因此可以继续开展这一交易。与此同时,原本可作为TikTok天然着陆点的社交媒体巨头Facebook,则只能将这一机会拱手让人。(财富中文网)
译者:Feb
特朗普下令,字节跳动必须在9月中旬前为其TikTok美国业务找到一个买家,并称这家社交媒体平台存在安全隐患。
TikTok本月22日宣布,公司将起诉特朗普政府,以阻止这次强制出售。然而与此同时,像甲骨文和Twitter这类合适的候选公司已就购买TikTok与字节跳动进行了谈判。然而正在就收购进行协商的微软才是最有可能的买家。
与其他科技巨头不同的是,这家位于华盛顿州雷蒙德的软件公司以其B2B销售业务为主打,而不是消费业务。那为什么微软想将TikTok揽入怀中呢?为了寻找答案,《财富》翻阅了大量的分析师报告,并携手SurveyMonkey于8月17-18日*对2478名美国成年人进行了调查,以了解他们对社交媒体的态度以及使用规律。
TikTok + 领英将让微软成为社交媒体巨头
TikTok的新用户增速远超大部分社交媒体。然而《财富》的调查显示,仅有11%的美国成年人使用这一应用,依然远低于其竞争对手。用户数量最多的平台是Facebook(65%)和Facebook旗下Instagram(35%)。然而,TikTok的内部数据给出的用户占比则要高得多,而且这其中的差距可能源于一个事实:TikTok很大一部分用户群都在18岁以下,因此并不在《财富》的调查之列。
然而对于微软来说,如果TikTok再配上美国成人使用占比达到20%的领英,那么微软将有资格在社交媒体领域与顶级选手Facebook一决高下。微软在2016年以262亿美元的价格收购了领英。
将TikTok纳入麾下能够让微软成为数字广告业务的佼佼者。eMarketer的数据显示,这一领域70%的市场份额归属于谷歌、Facebook和亚马逊。
Wedbush Securities股票研究业务董事总经理丹·艾维斯在8月的微软评估中写道:“微软购买TikTok以及其美国业务可以解决该应用的安全问题,而且能够让雷蒙德获得消费社交媒体领域的一个香饽饽,而此时,其他FAANG同行(Facebook、Alphabet)都在经历大规模的反垄断监管审查,因此无法触碰TikTok资产。”有意思的是,当被问及拟议出售时,50%的公众称他们并不同意强制出售TikTok。
TikTok将让微软俘获Z一代
在18-24岁的年龄段中,仅有17%的人使用微软旗下领英。就TikTok而言,这个数字则超过了两倍,达到了42%。在这些青年成年人中,仅有Instagram (82%), Twitter (46%)和Facebook (46%)有着更高的用户占比。
将TikTok收入囊中不仅会提升微软社交媒体中的Z一代受众数量,同时也会帮助公司在今后成为消费业务领域更大的参与者。
这一豪赌将实现微软业务的多元化
Wedbush称,在微软1.6万亿的市值中,约90%来自于企业云策略,包括Azure和Office 365。收购TikTok将帮助微软实现其业务的多元化,并找到新的业务增长点。
艾维斯在其8月对微软的评估中写道:“公司的消费策略依然处于飘忽不定的状态,而对TikTok的果断收购(或策略投资)则意味着微软已经下定了决心,并尝试与包括Facebook在内的其他科技巨头进行竞争。从公司管理层和董事会角度来看,我们认为这是这10年难得一见的机遇,而且还可以轻易地拿到异常划算的收购价格。”
简而言之:将TikTok收入麾下,再加上Xbox和领英,意味着微软将押注重金,拉近这家B2B公司与消费者的距离。
艾维斯写道:“微软在过去5年所做的任何赌注都是无可争辩的,不过,公司一直在用欲盖弥彰的消费策略来掩盖其缺失的一环,如今,这个空缺可以通过TikTok以及价值重估/分类加总估值来弥补。”
反垄断调查让Facebook无缘TikTok资产
《财富》与SurveyMonkey在6月25-26日对1276名美国成年人所做的调查显示,在美国成年人中,呼吁对Facebook (48%)与亚马逊 (31%)进行反垄断调查的比例最高。在美国最大的五家科技公司中,要求对微软进行反垄断调查(20%)或拆分(12%)的比例最低。
上个月,亚马逊、苹果、Facebook、谷歌均前往国会参加众议院反垄断委员会举行的听证会。然而,微软首席执行官萨特亚·纳德拉收到的则是无需参会的通知。
这一切都意味着,微软并不像其他大型科技公司那样面临着同样的反垄断问题,因此可以继续开展这一交易。与此同时,原本可作为TikTok天然着陆点的社交媒体巨头Facebook,则只能将这一机会拱手让人。(财富中文网)
译者:Feb
President Donald Trump has given ByteDance until mid-September to find a buyer for its U.S. TikTok business, calling the social media platform a security threat.
TikTok announced Saturday it will sue the Trump administration to prevent the forced sale. But in the meantime suitors like, Oracle and Twitter, have already held preliminary talks to purchase TikTok. But it's Microsoft, which is working on a deal, that is the clear favorite.
Unlike other tech conglomerates, the Redmond, WA-based software company is known more for its B2B sales than consumer businesses. So why would Microsoft want TikTok? To find out Fortune scoured analyst reports and teamed up with SurveyMonkey to poll 2,478 U.S. adults between August 17 and 18* to find out more about their attitudes towards social media and usage patterns.
TikTok + LinkedIn would make Microsoft a social media giant
TikTok is adding users at a clip that far outpaces most social media platforms. However, with only 11% of U.S. adults using the app, according to Fortune's poll, it is still very behind its competition. The platforms with the most users are Facebook (65%) and Facebook-owned Instagram (35%). However, TikTok's internal numbers show a much higher usage rate, and some of that discrepancy could be explained by the fact that much of its user base are under the age of 18 so would not be reached in Fortune's polling.
But for Microsoft, if TikTok were paired with LinkedIn, which has 20% of U.S. adults using the platform, the company would have the footing to compete in the world of social media against top dog Facebook. Microsoft purchased LinkedIn in 2016 for $26.2 billion.
Adding TikTok would make Microsoft a major player in the digital ad business, which currently has 70% of market share going to Google, Facebook, and Amazon, according to eMarketer.
"Microsoft buying TikTok and these US operations would resolve the security issues with this app and also give Redmond a crown jewel on the consumer social media front at a time that other FAANG peers (Facebook, Alphabet) are under massive regulatory scrutiny with anti-trust concerns swirling and cannot go near the TikTok asset," Dan Ives, managing director of equity research at Wedbush Securities, wrote in an August assessment of Microsoft. Interestingly, when asked about a proposed sale, 50% of the public say they disapprove of a forced TikTok sale.
TikTok would give Microsoft an in with Gen Z
Among 18 to 24 year-olds, only 17% use Microsoft-owned LinkedIn. For TikTok, that number is more than double at 42%. Only Instagram (82%), Twitter (46%), and Facebook (46%) have a greater reach with young adults.
Adding TikTok would not only improve Microsoft's social media reach with Gen Zers, but it would help the company make a bigger consumer play in the years to come.
Big bet would diversify Microsoft's business
Around 90% of Microsoft's $1.6 trillion current valuation can be attributed to its enterprise cloud strategy, including Azure and Office 365, according to Wedbush. Acquiring TikTok would help Microsoft diversify its business and find new areas for growth.
"Its consumer strategy remains in flux and an aggressive acquisition (or strategic investment) of TikTok would be Microsoft throwing its hat in the ring and trying to compete with other tech giants such as Facebook in a new avenue of growth for the next decade for its consumer business," Ives wrote in his August assessment of Microsoft. "We believe from a management and Board perspective this is a unique deal of a decade opportunity with a price tag that could easily be consummated."
Simply put: Adding TikTok alongside its Xbox and LinkedIn, would represent an aggressive bet to move the B2B company closer with consumers.
"Its hard to argue with any bet MSFT has made over the last five years, although the missing piece in the puzzle has been a consumer trojan horse strategy which TikTok can fill along with a re-rating/sum-of-the-parts valuation," Ives wrote.
Antitrust pushback locks Facebook out of TikTok race
Facebook (48%) and Amazon (31%) have the highest percentage of U.S. adults calling for them to be investigated for antitrust, according to a Fortune and SurveyMonkey polled 1,276 U.S. adults between June 25 and 26. Among the country's five largest tech firms, Microsoft has the lowest percentage of U.S. adults calling for it be investigated for antitrust (20%) or to be broken-up (12%).
And last month when the CEOs of Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google all went to Congress to testify before the House Antitrust Subcommittee, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella was not asked to join.
This all indicates Microsoft doesn't face the same antitrust concerns as other Big Tech firms and can move forward with a bid. Meanwhile social media titan Facebook, which would have been a natural landing spot for TikTok, has to sit on the sidelines.