TikTok Asks Judge to Extend the Deadline for Its Sale

Francesca Billington

Francesca Billington is a freelance reporter. Prior to that, she was a general assignment reporter for dot.LA and has also reported for KCRW, the Santa Monica Daily Press and local publications in New Jersey. She graduated from Princeton in 2019 with a degree in anthropology.

TikTok Asks Judge to Extend the Deadline for Its Sale

The Trump administration's deadline for ByteDance to close a deal in the U.S. is around the corner and TikTok says it hasn't gotten an update in weeks.

The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) had set November 12 as the last date to close a business deal, but it didn't specify what would happen if things fell through.


That's what led TikTok to file a petition in the Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit on Tuesday. They're calling for a review of CFIUS and a 30-day extension on the deadline.

"With the November 12 CFIUS deadline imminent and without an extension in hand, we have no choice but to file a petition in court to defend our rights and those of our more than 1,500 employees in the US," TikTok told the Associated Press in a written statement.

In September, Beijing-based ByteDance announced it would sell part of its business to Walmart and Oracle, a plan Trump approved. His administration calls TikTok a national security threat, accusing the video platform of sharing user data with the Chinese Communist government, which the company denies.

The move could buy the Chinese company time as Trump is set to leave office early next year. An advisor to president-elect Joe Biden told CNBC it was "too early to say" Biden's thoughts on the social media app.

Meanwhile, TikTok's former CEO Kevin Mayer, who left amid sustained pressure from the Trump administration, has joined Len Blavatnik's investment firm Access Industries as a senior advisor.

His role will place him at the center of media and entertainment deals — Access has stakes in giants like Warner Music Group, audio streaming service Deezer and DAZN, a sports streaming service. Mayer, a former Disney executive, left TikTok after just under three months on the job.

"I look forward to helping Access build on the success of its leading media and entertainment businesses as a key component of my future endeavors," Mayer said in a statement announcing the news.

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LA Tech ‘Moves’: Mapp Gains New CPO and CTO, Prodoscore Taps Boeing Exec

Decerry Donato

Decerry Donato is a reporter at dot.LA. Prior to that, she was an editorial fellow at the company. Decerry received her bachelor's degree in literary journalism from the University of California, Irvine. She continues to write stories to inform the community about issues or events that take place in the L.A. area. On the weekends, she can be found hiking in the Angeles National forest or sifting through racks at your local thrift store.

LA Tech ‘Moves’: Mapp Gains New CPO and CTO, Prodoscore Taps Boeing Exec
LA Tech ‘Moves’:

“Moves,” our roundup of job changes in L.A. tech, is presented by Interchange.LA, dot.LA's recruiting and career platform connecting Southern California's most exciting companies with top tech talent. Create a free Interchange.LA profile here—and if you're looking for ways to supercharge your recruiting efforts, find out more about Interchange.LA's white-glove recruiting service by emailing Sharmineh O’Farrill Lewis (sharmineh@dot.la). Please send job changes and personnel moves to moves@dot.la.

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This Week in ‘Raises’: GITAI Lands $30M, Steno Gains $15M

Decerry Donato

Decerry Donato is a reporter at dot.LA. Prior to that, she was an editorial fellow at the company. Decerry received her bachelor's degree in literary journalism from the University of California, Irvine. She continues to write stories to inform the community about issues or events that take place in the L.A. area. On the weekends, she can be found hiking in the Angeles National forest or sifting through racks at your local thrift store.

Raises
Image by Joshua Letona

A local space robotics startup raised fresh funding to expand the flight model manufacturing facilities throughout the U.S. and increase employment, while a remote litigation platform raised more funding to continue growing its footprint in new markets across the country, develop service channels for its clients and continue expanding its tech team.

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Gitai Raises $30 Million to Expand Manufacturing Footprint in Los Angeles

Samson Amore

Samson Amore is a reporter for dot.LA. He holds a degree in journalism from Emerson College. Send tips or pitches to samsonamore@dot.la and find him on Twitter @Samsonamore.

Gitai Raises $30 Million to Expand Manufacturing Footprint in Los Angeles
\u200bPhoto: Gitai

Space robotics company Gitai raised a $30 million Series B extension this week, bringing the total value of the round to roughly $47 million.

The funding will be used to further develop Gitai’s suite of space robots as well as build out its manufacturing footprint in Torrance. Previously Gitai announced it raised a $17.1 million Series B in March 2021; this additional raise is still part of that round.

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