[時事英文] Tiktok收購風波: 出售原因及交易前景

需要下一篇關於TikTok的時事英文歡迎留言「The clock is ticking on TikTok. 」。

「the clock is ticking」 表示時間緊迫、時間正在飛快流逝的意思，用來催促應該儘速做某事。

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文章來自《華爾街日報》:

為什麼TikTok可能會被出售?

TikTok parent ByteDance Ltd., a Beijing-based company, has mulled a range of options in recent months to assuage concerns from officials in the U.S. and other countries about the service’s ties to China. Concerns about a potential U.S. ban, in part, drove discussions to explore a deal. The Redmond, Wash., software giant on Sunday said it is interested in buying TikTok’s U.S. business—as well as the app’s service in Canada, Australia and New Zealand—and is willing to try to address the White House’s concerns, though it warned that it would walk away from talks by Sept. 15 if a deal isn’t completed.

1. mull sth over 仔細思考、反覆考慮
2. assuage (v.) 緩和；減輕；平息
3. drive sth to 驅使
4. explore a deal 探討交易、尋求交易
5. software giant 軟體巨頭 (指微軟)
6. address (v.) concerns 解除、處理疑慮
7. walk away from talks 不再進行談判

TikTok母公司、總部位於北京的字節跳動近幾個月來考慮了一系列選擇，以緩解美國和其他國家官員對TikTok與中國關係的擔憂。對美國可能出台禁令的擔憂，在一定程度上推動了尋求出售交易的討論。微軟周日表示，有意收購TikTok的美國業務以及該應用在加拿大、澳洲和新西蘭的服務，並願意嘗試解除白宮的顧慮，但微軟警告稱，如果待9月15日不能達成交易，將不再進行談判。

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圍繞TikTok的安全擔憂究竟是什麼？

U.S. officials have said they are concerned TikTok—which has hundreds of millions of users world-wide, and about 100 million in the U.S.—could provide data collected from American users to China’s authoritarian government. TikTok has said it would never do so. Officials also worry that the app could be used to spread Chinese propaganda and that the platform’s moderators are censoring content to appease Chinese government leaders.

8. hundreds of millions of 數億的
9. world-wide 全球
10. provide data (that has been) collected 提供被收集的數據
11. authoritarian government 威權政府
12. propaganda 宣傳
13. moderator 評分審核人
14. censor (v.) content 審查內容
15. appease (v.) government leaders取悅政府(領袖)

美國官員曾表示，他們擔心TikTok可能會向中國威權政府提供從美國用戶那裡收集的數據。TikTok在全球擁有數億用戶，在美國的用戶約為一億。TikTok已表示永遠不會這麼做。官員們還認為這款應用可能被用來傳播宣傳中國的內容，並擔心該平台的審核人員審查內容以取悅北京方面。

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為什麼微軟可能會收購TikTok?

The purchase of TikTok’s U.S. operations, a deal that would likely cost billions of dollars, would bring a huge pool of mostly young users to a company that has thrived during Microsoft Chief Executive Satya Nadella’s tenure largely by focusing on corporate customers. Microsoft would likely invest to grow the app’s user base as well as its relationships with advertisers as it competes with the likes of platforms owned by Facebook Inc., Twitter Inc., Snap Inc. and others. TikTok globally isn’t profitable though Microsoft has deep pockets to invest in the platform. Microsoft could leverage its pool of TikTok’s mostly younger users to bolster its Xbox videogame business and its advertising business, which currently centers on its Bing search engine.

16. would likely 有可能…
would (假設語氣): https://bit.ly/2PuV06F

17. a huge pool of users一大批用戶
pool: https://bit.ly/3idpPZV

18. thrive (v.) 興旺、繁榮
19. tenure 任期
20. user base 用戶基礎
21. advertiser 廣告商
22. the like of sb/sth; sb's/sth's like …之類
23. profitable 有盈利的
24. have deep pockets to invest 有雄厚資金可以投資 (口袋夠深)
25. leverage (v.) 借助已有的…實現新（或更好）的目標
https://bit.ly/30zgi9q
26. bolster (v.) 提高；改善
27. center (v.) on 集中在
28. search engine 搜索引擎

收購TikTok的美國業務可能會花費數十億美元，同時這將為微軟帶來一大批用戶，其中大多數是年輕用戶。在首席執行官納德拉(Satya Nadella)任內，微軟主要通過專注企業客戶實現了蓬勃發展。在與Facebook Inc. (FB)、Twitter Inc. (TWTR)、Snap Inc. (SNAP)等公司的平台展開競爭之際，微軟可能會投資擴大該應用的用戶基礎及其與廣告客戶的關係。TikTok在全球還沒有盈利，不過微軟有雄厚的資金投資這個平台。微軟可以利用TikTok以年輕人為主體的用戶群，提振Xbox遊戲業務和廣告業務。目前，微軟的廣告業務主要集中在必應(Bing)搜索引擎上。

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中國對TikTok美國業務可能出售的消息反應如何？

How is news of the potential sale being received in China?
The potential sale is hardening suspicions of some in China that the U.S. is trying to sabotage efforts to nurture homegrown technology enterprises, with TikTok being among the country’s first apps that is a global smash hit. The partial or complete sale of TikTok has also raised concerns about the precedent a deal could set for Chinese companies with global ambitions as U.S.-China relations unravel.

29. potential sale 可能進行的交易
30. harden suspicion 加劇懷疑
31. sabotage暗中破壞、蓄意破壞（計劃或行動）
32. nurture (v.) 扶植
33. homegrown technology enterprises本土科技企業
34. a global smash hit 一款全球轟動的(應用軟體)
35. raise concerns 引起關注、擔心
36. set a precedent 設下先例
37. unravel (v.) 破壞 (這裡指中美關係出現裂痕)

考慮到TikTok是中國首款在全球轟動的應用軟體，這筆可能進行的出售交易令中國的一些人更加懷疑，美國是在試圖破壞中國培養本土科技企業的努力。此外，在美中關係出現裂痕之際，部分或完全出售TikTok也讓人擔心該交易會為心懷全球抱負的中國企業樹下什麼樣的先例。

《華爾街日報》完整報導：https://rb.gy/qu5r20

圖片出處: https://on.ft.com/2EY7DoU

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📰 華爾街日報訂閱方案: https://bit.ly/39ULVh1

🎓 華爾街日報獎助學金計畫 (A20): https://bit.ly/2C2tUAI

如果你是商人或有在投資，對於經商或投資的獲利肯定非常重視，獲利確實是支撐商業運作及投資的最重要原因，獲利的名詞通常是用 profit 這個英文單字來表示，形容詞則用 profitable 來形容＂有利可圖＂或＂可獲利＂的意思。
#歡迎按讚追蹤我們的粉絲專頁一起輕鬆學英文
#歡迎分享此篇文章
有時間的朋友們一起來看獲利的英文例句⬇️⬇️⬇️

Roger今天貼的這篇很有意思，也剛好對應自己最近在創業這條路上的一個自我覺察與領悟。

去年中我接受了一個邀請、給自己一個新的挑戰，接下建立一個start-up的工作。

不管到哪裡、做甚麼，我通常習慣會做的第一件事情都是：

搞清楚"遊戲規則"。

在過程中，我開始學習到很多截然不同於我之前跟太座一起創立&經營 零阻力 的"遊戲規則"。

比如追求估值啊...

比如要尋找能快速規模化的商業模式啊....

比如思考怎麼退場變現啊....

等等等等的、可以說是現在所謂"新創圈"的主流思維的各種"遊戲規則"

這些都很有趣，某種程度來說也挺誘人的.....

(誰聽到那種創了個業、沒多久之後賣掉、一下子變成億萬身價的故事，會無動於衷的，那修為還真的挺高的)

在我接下這個挑戰的前半年，說實在我也常在想要怎麼運用手邊的資源，依照這個主流遊戲規則來玩一場。

但是....

不知為什麼，總是覺得哪邊怪怪的。

並不是說這個主流遊戲規則有甚麼問題 (這輪不到我來評斷)

就是那種，說不出來的，怪怪的。

直到最近幾個月，我才逐漸領悟到造成那"怪怪的"的地方在哪裡。

真要講起來，有蠻多角度蠻多面向，會很複雜。

但要盡量簡單講的話，就是：

我本質上就不適合玩那種遊戲。

也許因為我在 財富原動力 Wealth Dynamics 裡是"鋼鐵"能量高達68%的"地主"型。

說實在，經營一個事業，我如果沒有看到"真的"現金流，沒有看到公司"真的"在賺錢....等等的所謂"實"的東西，我就會覺得很不踏實。

而本質上，我就是屬於那種直覺上就會認同 "退潮之後，你才知道誰在裸泳" 這句話的人....

同時，就像財富原動力測驗報告裡針對"地主"的一句描述一樣，原文我記得是這麼說的：

"Lords built to last."

白話一點翻譯的話，就是"地主型的人不管要建造什麼，都會想讓他永續存在"

或者信雅達一點的翻譯，就是地主型的人通常追求"基業長青"

領悟到這一點，對我來說帶來一個非常、非常大的好處....

那就是，就算我還不知道要怎麼做，才能達到我理想的成功，但我已經知道自己"不要"做什麼了....

"那種"遊戲規則，不是我想玩的。

也因此，我開始思考不同維度的問題，比如.....

"如果20年之後 BioFit這個品牌還活得好好的，是因為我們做與不做什麼?"

...這類的、把時間維度也考慮進去的問題....

扯遠了。

上面寫這麼多，其實就是回答Roger在他這篇貼文裡的一個小問號。

"獨角獸" 還是 "斑馬"？

我選斑馬，你呢？

Is your startup a Unicorn or a Zebra? Last month, amidst high profile cases of misbehaving Unicorns, from Oculus to Uber, Mara Zepeda & Jennifer Brandel wrote a blog “Zebras fix what Unicorns break.”

They said “The current technology and venture capital structure is broken. It rewards quantity over quality, consumption over creation, quick exits over sustainable growth, and shareholder profit over shared prosperity."

"It chases after “unicorn” companies bent on “disruption” rather than supporting businesses that repair, cultivate, and connect.”

They then say “A company’s business model is the first domino in a long chain of consequences. In short: ‘The business model is the message.’"

"From that business model flows company culture and beliefs, strategies for success, end-user experiences, and, ultimately, the very shape of society.

This new movement demands a new symbol, so we’re claiming an animal of our own: the zebra.

Why zebras?

1. To state the obvious: unlike unicorns, zebras are real.

2. Zebra companies are both black and white: they are profitable and improve society. They won’t sacrifice one for the other.

3. Zebras are also mutualistic: by banding together in groups, they protect and preserve one another. Their individual input results in stronger collective output.

4. Zebra companies are built with peerless stamina and capital efficiency, as long as conditions allow them to survive."

If you are striving to grow a Unicorn, you may succeed, although they are beginning to look rarer as VCs slow down their investing.

If, on the other hand, you are striving to rear a Zebra, you are in good company. After all, Zebras like to group together, and they are becoming increasingly common as entrepreneurs seek co-operation and sustainability over competition and monopoly.

When you seek size and scale, you may never reach success. If you seek purpose and profit, you can succeed the moment you start.

“Go into the world and do well. But more importantly, go into the world and do good.” ~ Minor Myers Jnr

If you like the idea of being a Zebra, you can read Mara & Jennifer’s “Zebra Manifesto” at http://bit.ly/zebra-manifesto

You can also visit https://www.zebrasunite.com

And because a gathering of Zebras is a “Dazzle”, you can also join the first Zebra gathering at “Dazzlecon” later this year:

https://www.zebrasunite.com/dazzlecon