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TikTok Owner ByteDance Is Happily Helping American Kids Do Their Homework

A “sticky” homework helper app seems to be a predictable path for a company intent on growing its influence in the United States.
TikTok Owner ByteDance Is Happily Helping American Kids Do Their Homework
The ByteDance logo is seen on the ByteDance headquarters building in Beijing on July 8, 2020. ByteDance is the owner of the video sharing app TikTok. Greg Baker/AFP via Getty Images
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Commentary

If you were an adversary of the United States intent on capturing the hearts, minds, and attention of its people, a strategy may be to come at the task from all different angles, right?

And if you were ByteDance, the Chinese owners of TikTok, a great time to focus on growing ancillary businesses (similarly targeted to Generation Z youth) would be at the very moment that you risk having to divest your largest holding. So if it’s all so obvious, why is ByteDance’s “AI Homework Helper” app, Gauth, operating so easily under the radar?

Shannon Edwards
Shannon Edwards
Author
Shannon Edwards is an entrepreneur, consumer technology trends and policy expert, digital marketer, and journalist. She has led startups globally and has served for years as a media go-to on global tips and trends, and consumer advocacy.