TikTok scares Google too, which it would be negotiating the acquisition of Firework to counter the rise of the Chinese social network based on very short videos. The Wall Street Journal reports it, stating that nothing has yet been decided but that the Google-Fireworks deal is there, and it is also at the highest levels.
The YouTube executives would be called to deal with the owners of Firework, a startup from Redwood City in Califronia with just a year of activity behind it. A few days ago, news leaked that Mark Zuckerberg himself recently asked his executives to thwart the rise of TikTok, while It would seem that Weibo is also interested in Firework, a company that manages the social platform of the same name which is widespread in China. The reason for all this interest in Firework is twofold: Firework has reached one million users in less than six months and, at the moment, it seems the most credible option to compete with TikTok.
What is Firework
Firework defines itself as one social mobile TV. Its operation is based on the sharing of very short videos, from 30 seconds. That seems like a few, but it's actually double the 15 seconds of TikTok videos. From a technical point of view Firework stands out for the integration of Reveal technology, which allows you to rotate your phone while the video is playing while keeping it full screen.
As has already happened to the Chinese competitor, Firework also managed to go viral among young people thanks to spontaneous videos shot and shared by users, but has already set up a paid Creator Program to attract creatives as well as a Partner Program for advertising investors. Currently Firework has an estimated value of 100 million dollars, a few pennies for Google but also for ByteDance, owner of TikTok, which has a market value of about 75 billion dollars.
Facebook focuses on Lasso
If Google is thinking, like Weibo, of buying Firework to take TikTok out of the public, Facebook, on the other hand, seems willing to counter it by playing at home. With the Lasso application, which today is integrated with Facebook and perhaps one day it could also be with Instagram, it is possible to create and share short videos, add effects and a soundtrack by drawing on a vast library included in the app. Zuckerberg has made it clear to his employees that the group must bet everything on this app, especially in countries where TikTok is not yet widespread.
Google against TikTok: the counter-move is ready
