TikTok is addictive for a reason: It’s the algorithm, but the format helps, too. If you want something a little smarter than mindrot videos, try WikiTok. It’s a visual way to browse random articles. Hey, that’s how I just learned there’s an Amsterdam, New Jersey.
Why AI isn’t the next dot-com crash - March 15th, Hour 1
Is AI the new dot-com bubble? The stock market and trade wars say otherwise. Plus, who’s taking over TikTok, hologram doctors are here, and fake CAPTCHAs are tricking you.
💪 “Granny Guns”: That’s what fans call 68-year-old weight lifting star Marlene Flowers. After a scare hospitalized her 10 years ago, she changed her life, and her son started sharing her workouts on TikTok. Now, over 2 million followers watch her flex her big biceps. Love her. It’s never too late to feel strong and confident.
$750,000
How much TikTok star Khaby Lame rakes in per branded post. The twist? He doesn’t say a word. All he does is silently react to so-called “life hacks” with shrugs and funny facial expressions. It’s things like this that make me wonder if I picked the wrong career path.
TikTok on the clock: The latest plan to save TikTok by April 5 comes with a big catch (paywall link). Oracle is the front-runner, but it will only take a small stake to look after your data. The app’s algorithm? Surprise, surprise, China will still control it. The algorithm is what makes TikTok tick.
♥️ Kindness goes viral: I love this. Lisa Aamot and her family are very close with their elderly neighbors, Fred and Evy. Recently, Lisa recorded her 4-year-old daughter, Sutton, walking to their house to borrow some maple syrup. Surprisingly, Fred, who’s usually relaxing in his chair, answered the door. The video has touched over 4 million hearts on TikTok.
📱TikTok’s parental controls: In a total PR move and after seven years in the U.S., the app is rolling out Family Pairing tools. You can block access at certain times and check who’s following your teens. There’s a new “Time Away” feature to set a schedule and a “wind down” option for bedtime. Why now? It’s looking at a sale or ban next month, silly.
“A lot of people want it”: That’s what President Trump says about TikTok. ByteDance has until April 5 to sell the app. Rumored U.S. buyers in the running include Oracle, Perplexity AI, a group led by real estate mogul Frank McCourt and Reddit’s cofounder Alexis Ohanian, and maybe MrBeast. The price? Over $400 billion and definitely out of my budget.
🥼 When you get a bladder infection, urine trouble: Fake AI doctors are taking over TikTok, pushing sketchy medical advice, from using lemon balm instead of Ozempic to selling health gummies through Amazon storefronts. The red flags? Decades of experience, weird mouth movements and names like the “coochie” or “booty” doctor.
15 minutes
Before your plane takes off, arrive at the airport. I bet that just stressed you out. This “airport theory” has almost 400 million views on TikTok. Some folks breezed through security and made it on time. Others weren’t so lucky. Don’t chance it.
🚨 Deepfakes going to a new level: TikTok owner ByteDance built an AI tool that makes realistic videos of people talking and singing from a single photo. OmniHuman can take an image (half-body or full-body) and bring it to life. Check out this example of Albert Einstein. Snazzy but scary in the wrong hands. And let’s not forget this is Chinese-owned. I wouldn’t hand over any personal pics.
😏 Didn’t take long: TikTok is back in the iPhone and Android app stores. The hiatus didn’t stop folks who used “sideloading” to install it from third-party sites (so dangerous!) or VPNs to fake their location. President Trump is set to make a decision about TT’s buyer before April 5.
$2
For a Toyota Corolla with 116,000 miles. Yes, the side mirrors are duct-taped, the license plate is bolted on with pliers, and there’s a minion painted on the hood. But mechanic Scotty Kilmer said in a viral TikTok he’d never get rid of an old Corolla. Under the ugly paint job is a 1.8L engine that’ll last forever. Here’s one for ya: Can a Toyota stretch? No, but a Mercedes-Benz.
🎓 Fake it till you make it: On TikTok, people of all ages are pretending they got into Harvard. The viral videos are funny, but it’s no joke that lawsuits have exposed donors and alumni kids getting special treatment. Speaking of … A Texan went to an Ivy League party on the East Coast. He walks up to a group of young women and asks, “Howdy, which school did y’all go to?” One of the women replied, “Yale.” The Texan asked again loudly, “WHICH SCHOOL DID Y’ALL GO TO?” (I saw you smile!)
🚨 A chatbot without limits: It’s simple to trick Chinese AI DeepSeek into giving out dangerous information. Researchers found using a tactic called “jailbreaking” — bypassing the AI’s built-in restrictions — you can get instructions on making a Molotov cocktail, evading law enforcement and even creating malware (paywall link). And we thought TikTok was dangerous.
Meet the TikTok PI exposing cheaters for millions to see
Is your partner acting sketchy? Staying late at work? Suddenly has a new “friend”? Steph A., aka “Your Fave Investigator,” finds out the truth and posts the receipts for millions to see. How does she track them down? She gives me the dirt!
💰 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!
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!)