This is a strange argument: I mean if TikTok were not owned by CCP and were a public company, I am sure a lot of folks in congress would have invested in it due to its size.
In part, the campaign against Tiktok is a campaign for SF based big tech to hold the monopoly on people's attention. As a newer startup, Tiktok has not entrenched itself the way that other tech companies have in DC yet.
https://www.npr.org/2023/03/22/1165249928/tiktok-congress-he...
> Tiktok's lobbying tops $5.4M in 2022 as it brings its charm offensive to Congress
> As a newer startup, Tiktok has not entrenched itself the way that other tech companies have in DC yet.
Any measure quantifying that? TikTok is not a usual startup. It has the whole force of CCP behind it. So calling it a "young startup" is disingenuous.