The problem is that with a transaction ban, no US companies can buy ads on TikTok, removing any financial point in running the service for US customers

Proving that TikTok is just a money-making enterprise, not a CCP tentacle manipulating foreign elections. Otherwise they you just run it at a loss, like Voice of America or RT.

So be it?

Upvoted for the perspective. Totally unrealistic view the average consumer is going to use a VPN to reach a particular service though.

The average consumer does not care(TM) and chooses convenience. And convenience will be brought by FB for example.

Most teenagers already use VPNs to get past network filters used in school WiFis and child filters on their data plans. Plus pornhub operates their own VPN so we know using a VPN to access just one service is something people already do. I think this idea of a mindless consumer is an unhealthy attitude tech people have that leads to so much shitty software. People who don't browse HN can use computers too.

I agree some might use VPNs, but most seems like a claim which needs some evidence.

A VPN wouldn't be necessary. Most of USG's totalitarian restrictions have been developed around commercial activity. Individuals are free to run whatever software we'd like, and talk with whatever servers we'd like. The user-facing choke point is Apple/Google control over software distribution.

No VPN would be necessary. The US has not proposed censoring the TikTok application, nor does the US president have the authority to censor otherwise legal speech.

> beige and grey Windows Vista era software and shitty enterprise software

That's not my image of Oracle at all. I think of a shark feeding frenzy.

>Nobody really cares about Oracle and its corporate image outside of the software industry

Quite a few non-tech corporations that use their products care. I consult for Fortune 2000 companies and "getting off Oracle" is probably a top 3 IT priority for most of them.

That aside, I can't think of any logical reason why Oracle would even want to buy them. It would be like Google buying a dry cleaning chain. There's no synergy whatsoever.

Oh fair, I always thought a distaste for Oracle was confined to tech.