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LinkedIn to Shut Down Service in China, Citing ‘Challenging’ Environment

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LinkedIn said on Thursday that it was shutting down its professional networking service in China later this year, citing “a significantly more challenging operating environment and greater compliance requirements.”

The service, which is owned by Microsoft, said it would offer a new app focused solely on job postings in China. The new app will not have social networking features such as sharing posts and commenting, which have been critical to LinkedIn’s success in the United States and elsewhere.

LinkedIn’s move ends what had been one of the most far-reaching experiments by a foreign social network in China, where the internet is closely controlled by the government. Twitter and Facebook have been blocked in the country for years, and Google pulled out more than a decade ago. China’s internet, which operates behind a system of filters known as the Great Firewall, is heavily censored and has gone in its own direction.

When LinkedIn expanded in China in 2014 with a localized service, it offered a tentative model for other major foreign internet companies looking to tap the country’s huge, lucrative and highly censored market. The company partnered with a well-connected venture capital firm, which it said would help it with government relations.

But to do business in China, LinkedIn also agreed to censor the posts made by its millions of Chinese users in accordance with Chinese laws, something that other American companies were often reluctant or unable to do. Even in 2014, LinkedIn acknowledged the challenge, saying, “LinkedIn strongly supports freedom of expression and fundamentally disagrees with government censorship. At the same time, we also believe that LinkedIn’s absence in China would deny Chinese professionals a means to connect with others.”

Seven years on, it has become apparent the experiment did not work. No major internet platform has followed in LinkedIn’s footsteps. Its business in China struggled as it ran up against major local competitors and a population skeptical about publicly listing valuable contacts.

The operating environment in China has also become more difficult. Since President Xi Jinping took the reins of the Communist Party in 2012, he has repeatedly cracked down on what can be said online. Presiding over the rising power of the Cyberspace Administration of China, the country’s internet regulator, Mr. Xi turned China’s internet from a place where some sensitive topics were censored to one where critics face arrests for a constantly shifting set of infractions, like jokes at Mr. Xi’s expense.

In March, the regulator rebuked LinkedIn for failing to control political content, three people briefed on the matter said at the time. Officials required LinkedIn to perform a self-evaluation and offer a report. The service was also forced to suspend new sign-ups of users inside China for 30 days.

The site also suffered as the U.S. relationship with China soured, with anger about LinkedIn’s complicity in China’s information controls rising in Washington. In recent months, after LinkedIn stopped displaying the profiles of several activists and journalists in China, American lawmakers criticized the company.

In one letter last month, Senator Rick Scott, Republican of Florida, wrote to Satya Nadella, Microsoft’s chief executive, demanding to know why it had censored the accounts of three journalists. Mr. Scott called the censorship “gross appeasement and an act of submission to Communist China.”

LinkedIn’s business has also grown, with China contributing minimally. Since Microsoft bought LinkedIn for $26.2 billion in 2016, revenue from the business has tripled. Mr. Nadella told investors in July that LinkedIn’s revenue had surpassed $10 billion in annual sales, up 27 percent from the previous year.

LinkedIn declined to comment beyond its announcement.

While Microsoft has tried to build a market in China for more than a decade, it has had only modest success. Last year, Brad Smith, Microsoft’s president, said the country accounted for less than 2 percent of its revenue.

Microsoft Windows and Office are common in China, but a large number are using pirated copies. The company has tried to overcome the issue, by hosting its software online and by tapping a major Chinese military contractor to help it offer an operating system better trusted by China’s government. Microsoft’s Bing search engine, one of China’s last remaining portals to the global internet, briefly appeared to have been blocked by government censors in 2019, even though the service directed users in China to state media accounts on disputed topics like the Dalai Lama.

It remains unclear precisely what will happen to the millions of Chinese user accounts on LinkedIn. In the past, when foreign internet firms have stopped offering locally censored services, their sites have been quickly blocked by the government.

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TikTok Faces Existential Threat as US House Votes Overwhelmingly to Ban Unless Sold

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The US House of Representatives has voted overwhelmingly to ban TikTok unless its Chinese owner, ByteDance Ltd., sells the video-sharing app.

The measure, passed by a vote of 352 to 65, marks a significant escalation in the ongoing scrutiny of TikTok, which has come under fire over concerns about national security and data privacy.

The bill, if enacted into law, would require TikTok to divest its US operations within 180 days or face a ban from US app stores, including those run by Apple and Google.

This move represents the most serious challenge yet to TikTok, which boasts a massive user base of 170 million Americans but has been criticized by some lawmakers as a potential national-security threat due to its Chinese ownership.

President Joe Biden has signaled his support for the legislation, stating that he would sign it into law if it passes the Senate.

However, the bill’s fate in the Senate remains uncertain, with Majority Leader Chuck Schumer yet to endorse it and some members, including Republican Rand Paul, expressing opposition.

TikTok has vehemently opposed the proposed ban, arguing that it would violate the First Amendment and have a detrimental impact on the economy, small businesses, and the millions of Americans who use the platform.

The company has also faced accusations of being a tool for Chinese propaganda, although it has consistently denied sharing user data with the Chinese government.

The House passage of the bill comes just days after its introduction, reflecting growing bipartisan concern over TikTok’s influence and potential risks to national security.

The swift action underscores the urgency with which lawmakers are seeking to address these concerns and highlights the mounting pressure on TikTok to address them or face significant consequences.

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Reddit Eyes $748 Million in Landmark Initial Public Offering

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Reddit Inc. is setting its sights on a colossal initial public offering (IPO) aiming to raise $748 million.

This ambitious move represents one of the most significant IPOs of the year as Reddit looks to capitalize on its vast user base and unique market position.

The social media giant, beloved for its diverse forums and vibrant community discussions, plans to offer 22 million shares at a price range of $31 to $34 each, according to sources familiar with the matter.

If successful, this would catapult Reddit’s valuation to as high as $6.5 billion, solidifying its status as a major player in the digital landscape.

What sets Reddit’s IPO apart is its innovative approach to shareholder inclusion. The company intends to reserve approximately 1.76 million shares exclusively for its dedicated users and moderators who created accounts before January 1st.

This groundbreaking move not only fosters a sense of community ownership but also underscores Reddit’s commitment to its grassroots origins.

Despite its meteoric rise, Reddit has faced its fair share of challenges.

From navigating volatile market conditions to addressing user concerns over content moderation and profitability, the company has weathered storms while staying true to its core values.

With heavyweight investment banks like Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase, and Bank of America spearheading the IPO, anticipation surrounding Reddit’s market debut is palpable.

As the company prepares to trade under the symbol RDDT on the New York Stock Exchange, all eyes are on Reddit, poised to witness history in the making.

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Elon Musk Envisions X as the Future of Your Financial Life

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Tech visionary Elon Musk unveiled his vision for X, aiming to transform it into the epicenter of people’s financial worlds by the end of 2024.

Musk’s plan transcends mere payment solutions, targeting nothing short of the complete financial ecosystem, including money and securities. “You won’t need a bank account,” he affirmed.

X, led by CEO Linda Yaccarino, sees this as an ambitious opportunity that could reshape the financial landscape as we know it.

Musk expressed his unwavering commitment to the cause, stating, “It would blow my mind if we don’t have that rolled out by the end of next year.”

This ambition traces back to Musk’s dot-com-era online bank, X.com, which later evolved into PayPal. Musk aims to take a page from his earlier playbook, hoping to outshine PayPal with a more comprehensive approach.

The platform’s offerings are set to include high-yield money market accounts, debit cards, checks, and loan services. Musk’s endgame? An ecosystem that empowers users to send money worldwide instantly and in real-time.

However, this transformation is not without its challenges. Elon Musk must convince users of the necessity of such an all-encompassing platform while gaining their trust with their financial lives.

The vision of X as an “everything app” resonates with the rise of super apps like WeChat in China, which provide users with access to a myriad of services, from shopping to transportation.

As X positions itself to revolutionize the financial industry, Musk’s audacious endeavor promises to change the way we handle money, potentially eliminating the need for traditional banking as we know it.

The world watches with bated breath to see if Musk’s bold vision will become a reality.

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