By skyforbes 
A few days ago, I read that the United States and China are moving forward on a TikTok ownership deal, with both President Donald Trump and President Xi Jinping personally involved.
Let that sink in for a moment.
Two of the world’s biggest powers are negotiating over a social media app. Not weapons, not oil, not trade routes — but an app that lets people dance, sing, and make short videos.
That got me thinking:
Can your idea — yes, the one sitting quietly on your notepad or hidden in your drafts — ever become powerful enough to shake nations?
Let’s talk about how TikTok did it, what that means for the rest of us, and why the next global disruption might just come from your imagination.
From a Simple App to a Global Force
I imagine TikTok did not start with a master plan to conquer the world. It began in China as Douyin — a simple short-video platform that made lip-syncing and 15-second creativity fun.
In 2017, its parent company, ByteDance, decided to launch the same app internationally under a new name — TikTok. It wasn’t the first of its kind. Vine tried short videos. Instagram had stories. Snapchat had filters.
So what made TikTok different?
The algorithm.
It wasn’t just showing you what your friends posted. It was showing you what you wanted to see — even before you realized it. Within minutes, the app learned your preferences and flooded you with bite-sized entertainment.
Soon, teenagers, comedians, chefs, and even teachers found themselves building audiences faster than they ever could on YouTube or Facebook.
It became the people’s stage.
The New War — Not of Weapons, But of Influence
In January 2025, the United States experienced a brief but significant ban of TikTok. The ban was the result of a law passed months earlier, the “Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act” (PAFACA). This legislation required TikTok’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, to sell the app to an American entity by a specific deadline or face a nationwide ban. The primary motivation was national security, as US officials feared the Chinese government could force ByteDance to share sensitive American user data or use the platform for state-sponsored propaganda, a claim TikTok consistently denied.
The deadline arrived on January 19, 2025, and after the Supreme Court upheld the law, the app was briefly removed from US app stores and became inaccessible to American users. However, the actual ban was extremely short-lived, lasting less than a day.
President Donald Trump, who took office the following day, immediately intervened to delay the implementation, citing an openness to finding a political or commercial solution. The short duration and rapid suspension of the ban meant that the initial, permanent government-mandated shutdown was averted, though the legal and political battle over TikTok’s future continues to evolve.
Now fast-forward to today. TikTok is no longer just a platform for fun; it’s a global political issue.
The U.S. government grew concerned about the app’s Chinese ownership and the influence it could wield on American users. Data privacy, national security, digital propaganda — the debates grew hotter by the month.
So here we are:
The U.S. Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessent, confirms that both countries are ready to finalize a TikTok ownership deal. Presidents Trump and Xi are set to meet at the APEC Summit in South Korea to sign off on it.
Let’s pause right there.
When a single app becomes the subject of diplomatic negotiation between two of the most powerful nations on earth — that is no longer just business. That’s influence.
TikTok has proven something profound:
The new global battlefield isn’t fought with bullets or borders — it’s fought with attention.
The country that controls attention controls culture. And the company that captures attention rewrites the rules.
What This Means for You — Lessons From a Disruptor
You may not be building the next TikTok, but there’s something we all can learn from this story.
I remember back in 2016, a friend of mine started a YouTube channel teaching how to cook with simple local ingredients. At first, people laughed — “Who will watch you cook Afang soup on camera?”
Today, she runs a media company with sponsorships, merchandise, and an audience across continents.
That’s the power of sticking with a small idea long enough for it to evolve.
TikTok’s founders didn’t have every answer from day one. They tested, failed, refined, and scaled. They understood timing. They built smart partnerships. They localized content. And most importantly, they thought globally while acting locally.
Your idea might look small today — a side project, a weekend hustle, a random thought you scribbled at midnight — but strategy is what makes it world-class.
Ask yourself:
- Am I learning enough about the people I want to serve?
- Am I improving my product every week, even a little?
- Am I brave enough to think beyond my current environment?
Because if TikTok can start in Beijing and make its way into homes in New York, London, Lagos, and Nairobi — then so can your idea.
The Reality of Disruption
But let’s be honest — disruption isn’t pretty. When you start creating something different, people resist it.
At first, they’ll laugh.
Then they’ll criticize.
Then they’ll copy.
And eventually, they’ll negotiate.
TikTok faced bans, lawsuits, political scrutiny, and global debates. Yet, here we are — still talking about it, still using it, still scrolling.
That’s what disruption looks like.
It’s messy. It’s unpredictable. But it changes the game.
So when your idea starts facing resistance, do not panic — it might just mean you are onto something.
Ideas Beyond Borders
The story of TikTok reminds us that innovation has no nationality.
A great idea does not care about your accent, your background, or your zip code. It only needs clarity, courage, and consistency.
Some of the world’s most transformative ideas were laughed at in the beginning — Airbnb, Netflix, even electric cars. But the people behind them refused to let geography or fear limit their thinking.
And maybe that’s the real message behind TikTok’s global journey:
When your idea solves a real problem or connects people in a new way, the world will notice — even if it has to argue about it.
A Final Reflection— Be the Disruption
So here is my challenge to you:
Don’t just build to survive. Build to disrupt.
Don’t aim to fit in. Aim to stand out.
Push your idea beyond your country, your comfort zone, your expectations.
Refine it until it becomes too good to ignore.
Because one day, the world might not just use your idea — they might have to negotiate over it.
Think bold. Build global. Be the disruption.