The company certainly put in the effort, first submitting a proposal and then revising it based on feedback from the Trump administration. Is this kowtowing to Trump? It’s truly a mixed bag. However, it seems rather clever that the company’s proposal would have the U.S. government holding a 50% stake in the new entity without voting rights. It’s like hitting two birds with one stone. ByteDance gets to maintain some connection with TikTok while allowing for ‘complete U.S. board control.’ It sounds like giving the U.S. government a sweet deal while waving a white flag. It’s clear that in business, ByteDance is also quite shrewd.