Tech
Every potential TikTok buyer we know about
The fight to ban TikTok is far from over.
It started in 2019, when U.S. legislators first started banning TikTok from government devices, but it reached a fever pitch in 2024 when then-President Joe Biden signed a bill into law that would ban TikTok unless it divested from its parent company, ByteDance. This all happened because of a fear that TikTok poses a national security threat since its parent company is based out of China and subject to Chinese intelligence laws which could theoretically force ByteDance to give its data to the Chinese Communist Party, a U.S. adversary.
The ban eventually made its way to the Supreme Court, with First Amendment Rights activists swarming to oppose the ban, since Americans have a First Amendment right to receive information from abroad, including propaganda. The Court eventually ruled to uphold the TikTok ban in a unanimous decision. And the ban did go into effect (for about 12 hours). That is, until now-President Donald Trump said he would extend the period of time before the law goes into effect. Now, the app is running and back on App Stores — at least, until Trump's extension runs out on April 5.
TikTok says it likely won't sell, but the only way to stop a U.S. ban now is for another company to step up and buy it. Most of the details about these talks aren't public, and we won't know for sure who's at the helm of the short-form video app until the deal is signed, but that doesn't stop rumors from flying. For instance, for a while we all thought Elon Musk, the CEO of X, SpaceX, and Tesla, was going to buy TikTok, but that was before he came out and said he didn't have any plans. Here's who might actually be in the talks to buy TikTok:
Oracle
Last month, it was reported that the software company Oracle, along with a group of other outside investors, would be taking control of the app. According to NPR, who got the exclusive on the deal, it was being negotiated by Trump's White House and would allow ByteDance to retain a minority stake in the company; Oracle would oversee the app's algorithm, data collection, and software updates. Trump later denied he was working on a deal with Oracle, Reuters reported, but maintained that he was working with "very substantial people" about a deal. Trump even said he would "like Larry [Ellison] to buy it," referring to Oracle chairman.
MrBeast
YouTube and TikTok star Jimmy Donaldson, who you probably know as MrBeast, is apparently looking to buy TikTok along with a group of investors.
“Okay fine, I’ll buy Tik Tok so it doesn’t get banned,” he posted on X in January. Albeit spelling TikTok incorrectly, his lawyers confirmed to CNN that he was serious.
Project Liberty and Kevin O'Leary
Canadian investor and Shark Tank star Kevin O’Leary said he would "love to work with Trump" on a deal to buy TikTok, according to CNBC. He also joined in on a bid along with Project Liberty Founder Frank McCourt on "The People’s Bid for TikTok," which offered ByteDance $20 billion in cash.
Steven Mnuchin
Former Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told CNBC in March 2023 that he started an investor group to buy the app but didn't give any details. He helped Trump broker a deal in 2020 that would have Oracle and Walmart take a large stake in TikTok but obviously that didn't pan out.
Perplexity AI and the U.S. Government
The U.S.-based search engine Perplexity AI put in an offer to create a new U.S. holding company called "NewCo" and then to merge with TikTok, Reuters reported. The holding company would mean the U.S. government would get up to half of the new company in future, which could lead to some pretty serious First Amendment concerns.
Microsoft
According to Reuters, Microsoft is also in talks to buy TikTok. The details aren't public.
Bobby Kotick
As IGN reported in March 2024, the former Activision CEO Bobby Kotick reportedly wanted to buy TikTok. The details aren't public and it's unclear if that reported interest has turned into anything solid.
Rumble
The Twitch rival is also thought to be interested in buying TikTok, and even put in an offer in March 2024.
Amazon
In 2024, Forbes reported — with the assistance of a former TikTok employee — that Amazon was also in talks to buy the app. The details here aren't public.
The U.S. government's sovereign wealth fund
Trump has suggested that a sovereign wealth fund in the U.S. could buy TikTok, the BBC reported. This could lead to some First Amendment concerns with regard to what kind of content is policed on the app. Content moderation is one thing on a private social media app, but would hold a whole host of issues when the moderators are a government organization.
Thousands of private ChatGPT conversations have been appearing in Google search results because of the chatbot's "Share" feature, which the company recently removed following a backlash.
Fast Company reported this week that ChatGPT users may have inadvertently made their conversations with the AI chatbot public and searchable. The Fast Company report found nearly 4,500 ChatGPT conversations in Google search results, some of them regarding mental health struggles, relationships, and other personal and sensitive topics. Fortunately, the public conversations did not identify the users behind the posts.
How did these conversations end up on the web?
Until recently, ChatGPT users had the ability to share chats with friends, family, or coworkers by making them public. The function worked similarly to the sharing settings on a Google Doc, and users would be given a public link to the chat they could send to others. An additional option gave users the option to make the post "discoverable," and specifically discoverable by Google — whether users realized it or not.
When users created a shareable link to one of their conversations, a pop-up would appear that read: "A public link to your chat has been created." A checkbox also appeared under this message, labeled "Make this chat discoverable." And in fine print below this message, a warning appeared: "Allows it to be shown in web searches."
By checking this box, users were making it possible for their conversations to be indexed by Google, meaning Google's web crawlers could identify the page and make it eligible to appear in search results.
After Fast Company published its report, OpenAI removed the feature, with one company leader calling it a "short-lived experiment."
OpenAI Chief Information Security Officer Dane Stuckey explained on X how the feature worked — and where it ultimately went wrong.
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Even though ChatGPT users had to opt in for their chats to become public, the company decided the potential for user error was simply too high.
As Mashable has reported previously, OpenAI is required to save user conversations — even conversations users have actively deleted — because of an ongoing lawsuit from the New York Times. As part of this suit, OpenAI must retain all conversations indefinitely. (This does not apply to ChatGPT Enterprise or ChatGPT Edu customers, according to OpenAI.)
So, while ChatGPT users can toggle on a "Temporary Chat" feature that's similar to an incognito mode in a web browser, your chat data may still be retained.
Disclosure: Ziff Davis, Mashable’s parent company, in April filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.
If there’s one thing STAY know for sure about Hyunjin from Stray Kids, it's that the K-pop star has a deep, poetic love for flowers.
Whether he's painting delicate blossoms in his studio or on the road, sharing poems that echo the beauty of nature, or adorning his space with preserved petals, Hyunjin has made it clear: flowers are more than just pretty — they're a core part of how he expresses himself.
So it's no surprise that floral phone cases are his actual accessory of choice. On Instagram, the dancer has shared mirror selfies snapped during his global travels on the group's dominATE World Tour, and in several, his iPhone is dressed in a floral-covered case. If you don't know what case we're talking about, pop over to Instagram to see the floral case in question.
These rich, botanical designs perfectly capture his dreamy, introspective energy. And the best part? You can shop the same aesthetic to match your own phone to Hyunjin's signature style.
Romance with an edge
Dark and dramatic, this matte black Roses and Thorns phone case from Casetify is adorned with deep red roses and subtle gold detailing. It's elegant, bold, and unmistakably Hyunjin-coded. The design balances softness with edge, much like Hyunjin's stage presence itself. It's a clear favorite in his rotation and gives off serious romantasy vibes.
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Floral nostalgia, Hyunjin-style
This one's for the romantics. With dainty bouquets in pink, red, and white set against a matte black background, the Vintage Flower Monday case from Casetify has a worn-in, dreamy vibe, like something out of a vintage diary. The delicate florals and washed tones feel straight from Hyunjin's sketchbook, capturing that quiet elegance he's so known for.
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Hyunjin’s elegant life hack: a magnetic cardholder
Technically not a case, but definitely 100-percent Hyunjin. This Butterfly Sunday by Monika Strigel magnetic cardholder stand from Casetify features butterflies and white florals, and it’s been spotted attached to his phone more than once. During a 2024 livestream, Hyunjin explained that he'd stopped using a wallet "a long time ago" but kept misplacing his cards. The Snappy™ was a game-changer. He even called the accessory "amazing," and this is the second design he's been seen using. Stylish and practical? Very Hyunjin.
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These floral cases and accessories are romantic, artsy, and effortlessly cool. Just like him.
This is your last chance to get the original lineup of Nintendo Switch consoles before the prices go up on Aug. 3.
On Friday, Nintendo announced that it would be raising prices on the Nintendo Switch 1, Nintendo Switch OLED Model, Nintendo Switch Lite, and some Switch accessories. While the Nintendo statement didn't specify how much prices would increase, a popular Nintendo fan account on X spotted higher prices in effect at Target already. If these numbers are correct, then shoppers will soon face these prices:
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Nintendo Switch 1, originally $300, now $339.99
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Nintendo Switch OLED Model, originally $350, now $399.99
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Nintendo Switch Lite, originally $200, now $229.99
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Nintendo Joy-Con 2 controllers, originally $95, now $100
However, these higher prices haven't gone into effect at other retailers, which means gamers have about 48 hours to get the beloved console at the usual price.
As of this writing, all three of these consoles are available for sale at Walmart for their original prices. Unfortunately, the new Switch 2 landed with a higher price tag of $449. While it was consistently out of stock, a recent Switch 2 restock has changed that. But if that $449 price tag still gives you pause, you can still have a lot of fun on the original Switch, one of the greatest gaming consoles ever made.
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