Triller had been poised to benefit from a potential TikTok ban in the U.S. Though that may not happen now, given the apparent Oracle deal, the chaos around TikTok has increased the attention given to alternative apps such as Triller. As TikTok users sought a new home \u2014 or at least hedged their bets in the event of a full ban \u2014 Triller\u2019s app shot up the app store charts. It even became the No. 1 across 80 different countries at some point, Triller CEO Mike Lu says.
\nAt Techcrunch Disrupt 2020, Lu today spoke of Triller\u2019s growing potential and what makes its app unique. He also touched on Triller\u2019s involvement in several high-profile additions, including influencers and public figures like TikTok star Charli D\u2019Amelio and family, and even Trump himself.
\nLu also noted another top TikToker, Addison Rae, will make her way to Triller this week, as well.<\/p>\n
Though Triller has often positioned itself as a different sort of app than TikTok, the company has steadily worked to onboard the same set of influencers that made TikTok so popular. TikTok star Josh Richards recently joined Triller as both an investor and chief strategy officer, despite being only 18, for example. Other TikTok stars Noah Beck and Griffin Johnson also joined Triller earlier this summer.
\nAnd just this week, Triller snagged TikTok\u2019s queen herself, Charli D\u2019Amelio, whose current TikTok account has 87 million followers.
\nThough Triller often benefits from influencers setting up their own accounts, Lu confirmed Triller reached out to D\u2019Amelio to establish the relationship and to learn how the company could help her create a different type of presence on the Triller app.
\nDeal terms were not disclosed, but Lu said that, \u201cup until a month ago, we had never paid anyone to make a video.\u201d<\/p>\n
follow my triller teehee
\n\u2014 charli d\u2019amelio (@charlidamelio) September 15, 2020<\/p>\n
TikTok stars aren\u2019t the only notable new additions. Last month, Donald Trump launched his own official Triller account, as well, to promote his political campaign.
\nLu said he welcomes all the new users, including Trump.
\n\u201cWe\u2019re an open platform and what we really strive for is creativity. So, we welcome anyone \u2014 regardless of whether you\u2019re on the left side or the right side of the fence \u2014 to express yourself on the Triller platform,\u201d he said. \u201cSeeing some of the world leaders and also some of the biggest influencers in the world join the platform is very exciting for Triller.\u201d
\nLu also explained how Triller differentiates itself from the broader social media app lineup, noting that much of the focus of older social networks had been on allowing users to post status updates, not creative content.
\nTriller\u2019s identity, Lu added, \u201chas always been around music, around content, and around creative discovery.\u201d
\n\u201cI think that we will always shine more than your traditional status updates \u2014 which I think that the world of Facebook, Instagram and Twitter has done really well,\u201d he said. But today\u2019s users \u201creally don\u2019t post creative content to those old platforms anymore,\u201d he continued. \u201cThey\u2019re actually posting them on platforms like ourselves, where they\u2019re looking for an expressive and creative outlet.\u201d
\nLu claimed Triller also benefited from older social networks\u2019 attempt to enter the short-form video space.
\nWhen Instagram launched its TikTok competitor, Reels, Triller saw a 20% spike in usage, Lu said.
\n\u201cWe realized that a lot of users who were waiting for Reels\u2026they saw what it was. And they decided they\u2019re sticking to Triller,\u201d he said.
\nOn the topic of business matters, Lu declined to speak about recent reports of its supposed billion-dollar valuation, but did confirm Triller is in the process of raising new funding. He also declined to speak about the status of Triller\u2019s reported $20 billion bid with Centricus for TikTok assets, but said the company believed it would have been a good home for TikTok creator content from an infrastructure perspective.
\nNot surprisingly, given Triller\u2019s potential growth in the midst of TikTok concerns, Lu also supported the idea that TikTok could be a security threat to U.S. users.
\n\u201cGiven the sensitivity of the data [and] the amount of data that they collect, it does pose a national risk,\u201d Lu said of TikTok. \u201cThis is a Chinese-owned company. The data is sitting, probably, not here in the States\u2026\u201d he added, seemingly refuting TikTok\u2019s claims that its U.S. data was on U.S. servers.
\n\u201cWe take that stuff very seriously. We are a U.S.- based company,\u201d he said, noting how Triller was compliant with U.S. regulations, like COPPA. \u201cSomething we actually take very strong pride in is making sure that we uphold [Triller] to the right standards that we\u2019re used to, and as well as the privacy of our users and our citizens,\u201d Lu said.<\/p>\n