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0 pointsspaceman_20202y ago0 comments

The only thing they’re truly good at is copying features and using regulatory capture to outmuscle the competition.

Meta would have been absolutely toast right now if TikTok wasn’t banned in India. All of their user growth has come from that market lately, and that could only happen because Indian users have no option but to use Reels (TikTok was killing it here).

And the TikTok ban was also very suspiciously timed - right after Meta made massive billion dollar investments in India’s most powerful and politically connected business (Reliance/Jio). There have been no subsequent bans on anything Chinese.

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nindalf2y ago

> Regulatory capture

You say this and in the next breath mention India banning TikTok, which indicates that you don’t know what you’re talking about. India banned TikTok and 57 other Chinese apps in June 2020 in response to clashes between the PLA and the Indian Army in the Himalayas.

How are you going to explain that? That Zuck picked up the phone and encouraged Xi to attack Ladakh so that Modi would ban TikTok? Be real.

It is definitely true that Meta has tangentially benefited from this, but let’s not pretend that Meta was the driving force behind this.

spaceman_2020OP2y ago

Of course not. That was just coincidental timing, and a popular move politically at that time.

Because if Chinese apps were so dangerous, why haven't other Chinese apps been banned since, or why have Chinese smartphones continued to prolifer in the Indian market since?

India's trade with China has only increased since then. Yet somehow, TikTok was the first casualty - and nothing since.

nindalf2y ago

It was an Indian response to a Chinese provocation. But you’re not very familiar with Indian matters if you think there have been no further Indian responses.

Banning apps is one thing. Military exercises with America, Japan and Australia is another. A state visit by the Indian PM to America where defence deals were struck is yet another. All of these responses hurt China’s interests.

It’s quite simplistic to think that app banning is the only thing a country can do.

Also, you might not understand this but it’s easy to replace Chinese apps, so it only hurts the Chinese companies and not Indian consumers. It’s harder to replace physical goods overnight because that would increase prices and decrease choice for Indian consumers. That’s why it hasn’t happened.

vGPU2y ago

>Chinese smartphones

Find me a smartphone that isn’t made in china.

spaceman_2020OP2y ago

There's "made in China", and there's "based out of China, headed by Chinese nationals, and owned by Chinese nationals". All of India's top selling brands (OPPO, OnePlus, Vivo) fit into the latter category.

threeseed2y ago

I don't think you actually understand what makes Meta great and why they continue to win.

It is the fact that they run the most sophisticated, best-performing and well-run advertising platform of any website on the planet. And nothing comes close. Not Google. Not TikTok. And definitely not Twitter.

The fact they are going to bring that to Threads is going to utterly decimate Twitter's revenue.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse

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nindalf2y ago

> Regulatory capture

How are you going to explain that? That Zuck picked up the phone and encouraged Xi to attack Ladakh so that Modi would ban TikTok? Be real.

It is definitely true that Meta has tangentially benefited from this, but let’s not pretend that Meta was the driving force behind this.

spaceman_2020OP2y ago

Of course not. That was just coincidental timing, and a popular move politically at that time.

Because if Chinese apps were so dangerous, why haven't other Chinese apps been banned since, or why have Chinese smartphones continued to prolifer in the Indian market since?

India's trade with China has only increased since then. Yet somehow, TikTok was the first casualty - and nothing since.

nindalf2y ago

It was an Indian response to a Chinese provocation. But you’re not very familiar with Indian matters if you think there have been no further Indian responses.

It’s quite simplistic to think that app banning is the only thing a country can do.

vGPU2y ago

>Chinese smartphones

Find me a smartphone that isn’t made in china.

spaceman_2020OP2y ago

threeseed2y ago

I don't think you actually understand what makes Meta great and why they continue to win.

The fact they are going to bring that to Threads is going to utterly decimate Twitter's revenue.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse