🕵️ Cheater, cheater: A TikTok PI revealed a sneaky trick cheaters use, and it’s one I’ve been warning you about for a decade. In the Apple Notes app preinstalled on every iPhone, you can share a note. It’s way more hidden than talking through text. A note has been shared if there’s a little icon of a person next to it. I’m not telling you to go spy; I’m just sharing the tricks of the trade.
TikTok: If you don't have It, you can't get it
TikTok got a 75-day extension thanks to President Trump’s Executive Order, but new downloads are banned in the U.S. Some are so desperate they’re buying phones with TikTok pre-installed on eBay for thousands.
💰 The latest on the TikTok ban: Mr. Wonderful, Larry Ellison, Walmart, and a slew of other people and companies want to buy TikTok. Here’s a twist: President Trump just created a “sovereign wealth fund” good for anything from building airports and highways to writing a check for $100 billion to buy TikTok. Wealthy, smaller countries like Norway and Singapore have them, but this is new for the U.S.
36%
More videos posted to LinkedIn than this time last year. Vertical-view videos (think TikTok or Instagram Reels) are so popular, you can now view them on desktop and not just mobile. My advice: Go short and sweet, nothing too scripted. Hiring? Post a job free with my link!
It’s a TikTok account with 2.9 million followers that ranks sticks found in nature, from wizard staffs to twisted pieces of wood. It started as an inside joke between two buddies, Boone Hogg and Logan Jugler. They made a TikTok account, and, 12.5 million likes later, even celebs like Lin-Manuel Miranda are in on it.
Think you’re being cheated on? I told you to check the Notes app a year ago. Now, a private investigator is going viral on TikTok with the same advice. Yes, the Notes app is the same one for grocery lists. PSA: Cheaters also use a password-protected Google Doc, too.
$2
That’s all an Indiana pizza delivery driver got after delivering a $40 order during a massive snowstorm. A police officer saw him, shared his story on TikTok and started a GoFundMe campaign. The goal was $500, but over $30,000 poured in. Thank goodness, he kneaded the dough. (Oh, that was so bad, it was good!)
The clock is TikTokking: President Trump is cooking up a plan to buy TikTok. The U.S. sovereign wealth fund would involve private equity players and taxpayer money. Communist China’s government refuses to include the algorithm with the sale, which is what makes TikTok so valuable. But U.S. tech titans say they can come up with their own.
😅 I can’t believe I’m typing this: Women on TikTok are pouring castor oil into their belly buttons every night to help with digestion and bloating. Castor oil does have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, so maybe they’re onto something. No crude jokes, OK?
Don't become another victim of the California wildfires
California wildfires hit hard, but some celebs are exploiting fans on TikTok and GoFundMe. Here’s what you need to know.
Cheaters don’t want you to know this iPhone trick
Think someone’s two-timing you? They could be using this sneaky iPhone app to cover their tracks. We’ll also talk about China’s control over TikTok, IRS changes for online sellers, and Trump’s new memecoin.
🚫 This went tits-up: People who moved from TikTok to RedNote are thoroughly confused by censorship issues. One man asked why he couldn’t post photos of his abs, only to be told his nipples are sexually suggestive. ICYMI: RedNote is owned by China. If you downloaded the app, remove it.
President Donald Trump and TikTok
TikTok is not going away. Let’s make understanding what’s going to happen simple.
She’s teaching engineering lessons on Pornhub
A PhD student quit her degree to focus on content creation and she’s making a heck of a lot of money doing it. Plus, MrBeast’s smash-hit game show with a $15 million set, why TikTok can’t shut down and tech life hacks you’ll thank us for later.
216% more people
Learning Chinese on Duolingo compared to this time last year. With the TikTok ban looming and so many people running over to another Chinese app, RedNote, they likely need a crash course. RedNote is in Mandarin by default. Duolingo downloads are up 36%, too.
TikTok ban: A lot can happen in 3 days
TikTok is a tool of Red China and poses a threat to U.S. national security. If nothing changes before Jan. 19, it’s getting shut down in America.
The TikTok ban and your videos
If Communist China-owned TikTok is banned on the 19th, that doesn’t mean it’s game over for you.
☕ Me espresso: Carol Chapman, aka “Grandma C,” is an 81-year-old TikTok coffee reviewer. She hit 1.1 million views trying pop star Sabrina Carpenter’s Brown Sugar Shakin’ Espresso at Dunkin. Even Sabrina responded with, “i love you grandma C 💋.” In a follow-up video, Grandma C was bopping to Sabrina’s music for the first time. Love her.
Red Note is No. 1 in the App Store: It’s kind of like Instagram but with a Pinterest-style layout and 300 million monthly active members. Why is it suddenly so popular? TikTok creators who are worried their audiences will evaporate with the possible ban don’t realize this app is also Communist China-owned, too. D’oh.
🦈 Sink or swim: “Shark Tank” judge Kevin O’Leary and former Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt are trying to buy Communist China-owned TikTok before the possible ban on Jan. 19. O’Leary says the big goal is protecting 170 million American users from Chinese surveillance. They’ll need at least $100 billion to get this done.