From firefighter to TikTok bidder: my $30 billion mission

Just implicit a decennary ago, I was pulling 24-hour shifts with CalFire, driving my beat-up Corolla to work, and dreaming astir gathering thing bigger than myself. Today, I americium starring a radical of American investors who person submitted an connection to acquisition TikTok's U.S. operations. Life comes astatine you fast, doesn't it? 

But here's the happening – this isn't conscionable astir business. This is astir protecting what regular Americans person built connected TikTok portion making definite it stays existent to American values. And arsenic idiosyncratic who built their ain concern from thing but sweat equity and determination, I cognize a happening oregon 2 astir gathering thing worthy protecting. 

When I started the institution that would go employer.com, it was conscionable me, my laptop and endless cups of java astatine Temple Coffee Roasters successful downtown Sacramento. No fancy VC backing, nary spot fund, nary information net. Just a firefighter who believed helium could assistance link bully radical with bully jobs. Sound familiar? That's the communicative of countless creators and tiny concern owners connected TikTok close now. 

TIKTOK INVESTOR GROUP’S $30B BID INCLUDES TOP TIKTOK CREATOR MR. BEAST

I inactive thrust that Corolla, by the way. Even aft gathering employer.com into what it is today. Because occurrence isn't astir fancy cars oregon country offices – it's astir staying existent to your values and remembering wherever you came from. And close now, we request to retrieve what TikTok truly is astatine its core: a level built by regular radical sharing their lives, their dreams, and their ideas with the world.  

The conflict to prevention TikTok successful the US continues. Users don't privation to suffer each of the effort they enactment into the platform. (iStock)

Look, I get the concerns astir Chinese ownership. As idiosyncratic whose institution helps thousands of tiny businesses negociate their employees' information, I instrumentality information privateness and information seriously. But banning TikTok outright? That's similar utilizing a occurrence hose to enactment retired a day candle. You mightiness lick the contiguous problem, but you're going to origin a batch of unnecessary harm successful the process. 

When I was warring fires, we learned rapidly that sometimes the champion mode to prevention thing is to instrumentality power of the situation, not conscionable unopen everything down. That's precisely what we request present – American ownership of TikTok, truthful we tin support some our nationalist interests arsenic good arsenic the level that millions of entrepreneurs and creators trust on. 

That's wherefore a radical of chap concern leaders and investors is joining maine successful stepping up. We're not immoderate Silicon Valley elephantine with billions successful the bank. We're entrepreneurs who person built companies from the crushed up and recognize the worth of hard enactment and opportunity. Now, we privation to assistance support the level wherever truthful galore Americans are gathering their livelihoods, connecting with caller communities and expressing themselves. 

I've seen firsthand however TikTok has go a lifeline for tiny businesses. The edifice proprietor successful Oak Park who doubled her concern done TikTok videos. The feline successful Roseville who discontinue his firm occupation to prosecute his passionateness for woodworking, gathering his full lawsuit basal connected the platform. These are existent people, with existent dreams, gathering existent businesses. 

When I was starting out, I knew what it was similar to person the likelihood stacked against you. To person radical archer you that you're not large enough, not connected enough, not fancy capable to succeed. But here's what I learned: with capable determination, with capable grit and with the close opportunity, anyone tin physique thing amazing. 

That's what's astatine involvement here. TikTok isn't conscionable an app – it's an accidental level for millions of Americans. Yes, it needs to beryllium separated from Chinese ownership. Yes, we request to support Americans’ data. But we request to bash it successful a mode that preserves the level that truthful galore hardworking Americans person travel to trust on.  

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I inactive enactment retired of Sacramento and inactive drawback java astatine Temple. Because, astatine the extremity of the day, it's not astir being the biggest oregon the flashiest – it's astir doing what's close and creating opportunities for others. That's wherefore we're stepping up to the plate. Because sometimes, the champion idiosyncratic to support thing invaluable is idiosyncratic who remembers what it's similar to physique thing from nothing.  

So yeah, let's prevention TikTok. Not for the algorithms oregon the information oregon the technology – but for the millions of regular Americans who've built their dreams connected this platform. Because, if a firefighter from Sacramento tin physique a institution that contiguous supports implicit 10,000 tiny businesses, ideate what the adjacent procreation of dreamers and builders could bash with the close accidental and platform. 

When I was warring fires, we learned rapidly that sometimes the champion mode to prevention thing is to instrumentality power of the situation, not conscionable unopen everything down. 

Remember: it's not astir wherever you start – it's astir wherever you're determined to go. And close now, we're determined to support this level live for each American who's utilizing it to pursuit their dreams, conscionable similar I chased mine.  

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We’re grateful to President Donald Trump for providing the clip and accidental to prevention TikTok for American creators. We judge we person enactment guardant the champion connection to conscionable the president’s goals of protecting America’s nationalist interests, securing idiosyncratic data, and ensuring TikTok remains a harmless abstraction wherever state of code thrives. 

Let's marque it happen. Not for Wall Street, not for Silicon Valley, but for Main Street, USA. Because that's who we are, that's wherever we came from, and that's who we're warring for.