Donald Trump has granted TikTok a second 75-day extension for its U.S. sale, pushing the deadline to mid-June.
“My Administration has been working very hard on a Deal to SAVE TIKTOK, and we have made tremendous progress,” he wrote in a TruthSocial post. “The Deal requires more work to ensure all necessary approvals are signed, which is why I am signing an Executive Order to keep TikTok up and running for an additional 75 days.”
In a statement, a ByteDance spokesperson said that “key matters” of the deal had not been resolved.
“ByteDance has been in discussion with the U.S. Government regarding a potential solution for TikTok U.S.,” the statement said. “An agreement has not been executed. There are key matters to be resolved. Any agreement will be subject to approval under Chinese law.”
Despite the flurry of acquisition activity, Americans appear largely indifferent to the outcome, reflecting broader apathy toward TikTok’s uncertain future.
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In First Big Marketing Push, OpenAI Makes ChatGPT Free for College Students
The AI company’s brand campaign targets college students ahead of final exams
In its first major brand campaign under chief marketing officer (CMO) Kate Rouch, OpenAI is getting in front of college students ahead of final exams.
On Thursday (April 3), Rouch announced on LinkedIn that ChatGPT Plus is free for college students through May – an incentive meant to empower young people to use AI while marking its “first scaled marketing campaign.”
“The campaign shows students different ways to take advantage of ChatGPT as they study, work out, try to land jobs, and plan their summers,” Rouch wrote. “It also offers ChatGPT Plus’ more advanced capabilities to students for free through their finals.”
She added that creative supporting the effort will be distributed across “billboards, digital ads, podcasts, and more throughout the coming weeks.”
The two-month offer gives eligible college students in the U.S. and Canada access to increased file uploads, expanded messaging limits, advanced voice mode, deep research, and more. Students can claim free access to ChatGPT Plus from March 31 to May 31.
Hi! It’s Duo: The Marketing Strategy Behind the Internet’s Favorite Green Menace
Duo the Owl has crashed a Charli XCX concert, strutted the red carpet at the Barbie movie premiere, and faked his own death. The mascot is the envy of social media managers and the linchpin of Duolingo‘s marketing strategy. Our latest cover story explores how Duolingo’s bet on an oddball owl character has entertained the masses and driven business growth.
Whether clambering into a sweaty mascot suit, trying to source an owl bust carved from watermelon, or recording 200 clips of armpit fart sounds for a Super Bowl commercial, there’s rarely a dull day for Duolingo’s marketing team.
Just ask Zaria Parvez, the language learning app’s global senior social media manager. “This morning, I was putting a mustache on our CEO,” she told.
The reason for Luis von Ahn’s new facial hair? The boss was starring in a spoof of the Apple TV+ series Severance for Duolingo’s 16.8 million TikTok followers. “He was like, ‘I only have 30 minutes to do this because I have a meeting with our biggest investor,’ but he still prioritized it,” said Parvez.
