Guests combated the frigid temperatures outside with TikTok-branded beanies and earmuffs.
But the weekend left some feeling unsettled.
Let’s turn back the clock.
Friday, 10 a.m. Internally, it was “business as usual,” as one current TikTok staffer put it.
The Supreme Court ruling changed all that.
Others spread out across different social platforms, like Instagram, YouTube, and Snapchat, and newcomers likeRedNote.
To many in the TikTok community, it was still unclear what would happen next.
(A TikTok spokesperson told Business Insider the company communicated regularly with employees throughout the weekend.)
(The staffers asked to remain anonymous because they were not authorized to speak about their employer.
Their identities are known to Business Insider.)
The app would be suspended at 8:30 p.m. (They asked to remain anonymous to protect business relationships.
Their identity is known to BI.)
But the memo appeared to be inaccurate.
Saturday around 10:30 p.m. like stay tuned."
Delirious is one way to describe the app’s final hours.
“Someone’s gonna have to, like, check me into a mental hospital.”
Barber said he was struck with a feeling of, “What am I supposed to do?”
Othersconfessedtheir secrets to millions on the app, while some took tocomedy.
(Her content leading up to the ban included several videos in which she licked Jawbreaker candy.)
“I’ve cried a million times on this app.
You don’t need to go out watching me cry.
Let’s go out watching some stupid shit.
That’s why we love this place.”
Finally, around 10:30 p.m.
ET, TikTok called it quits.
“Sorry, TikTok isn’t available right now,” a second pop-up read.
“A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the U.S.
Unfortunately, that means you might’t use TikTok for now.
c’mon stay tuned!”
Paris described the cutoff as “shocking and jarring.”
I kind of feel like this is a good representation of what’s going on."
Sunday: TikTok’s game of chicken
For about 14 hours, TikTok was dead.
Then, around 12:30 p.m.
ET, it rose again.
The company thanked Trump, whose inauguration was set to begin roughly 24 hours later.
The general feeling for users and creators was:Welp, that was a waste of energy.
“We all have whiplash from it coming back,” Paris said.
“We have a lot to celebrate tonight.”
Monday and beyond: What’s next?
That night, around 8 p.m.
He also feared that US user data could end up in the hands of the Chinese government.
Members of Congress raised similar concerns when they passed the 2024 divest-or-ban law.
Trump hasproposed a joint venturethat would give a US entity 50% ownership in the company.
But if the whirlwind weekend is any indication, the final resolution is still up in the air.
Legal analysts say itmay not return to storesanytime soon as the companies weigh the risks of working with ByteDance.
They’re back, but some say they have one foot out the door.
“This is definitely a changing moment,” Paris said.
Will TikTok ever have the same juice?
Will it be a zombie of its former self?
“I know it’s going to be different somehow,” Battle said.
“This is a new chapter.”
