TikTok Ban Goes Down to the Wire, Is Jensen Huang wrong about Quantum Computing? and Linux Foundation Pushes Chromium Toward True Open Source
Welcome to Hashtag Trending. I’m your host, Jim Love. Let’s get into it.
“TikTok Ban Heads to Supreme Court as Republicans and Buyers Weigh In”
The fate of TikTok is heading to the U.S. Supreme Court, and the stakes couldn’t be higher. President-elect Donald Trump has asked the court to block a looming ban on the Chinese-owned social media platform. But in a surprising twist, many of his fellow Republicans are urging the opposite — backing the law that would force TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, to sell the app or face a U.S. ban by January 19.
The case pits national security concerns against free speech rights. TikTok argues that banning the platform would violate the First Amendment, restricting speech for its 170 million U.S. users. Former national security official Timothy Edgar called it “the most significant free speech case in at least a generation.” With the court’s 6-3 conservative majority, all eyes are on how the justices will rule.
Adding another twist — there are people trying to buy TikTok before the ban takes effect. Billionaire Frank McCourt and Shark Tank star Kevin O’Leary are leading a group called The People’s Bid for TikTok. They’ve made a formal offer to buy TikTok’s U.S. assets from ByteDance, proposing to rebuild it on American-designed technology to address security concerns. But ByteDance has repeatedly stated that TikTok is not for sale, complicating the bid.
With a Supreme Court case, a Republican divide, and a potential acquisition in the works, TikTok’s future hangs in the balance — and the outcome could reshape free speech and national security policies for years to come.
“Linux Foundation Pushes Chromium Toward True Open Source”
The Linux Foundation is taking steps to make Chromium-based web browsers truly open source. Since its launch in 2008, Chromium has served as the foundation for browsers like Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, and Opera, but it’s remained largely under Google’s control. Now, a new initiative called the Supporters of Chromium-Based Browsers aims to change that.
Launching today, the project will give developers and the broader open-source community a neutral space to collaborate on creating new browsers. While Chrome will remain a Google project, new and existing browsers can now be developed under the Linux Foundation’s leadership, reducing reliance on Google’s direction.
Major companies, including Google, Microsoft, Meta, and Opera, are backing the initiative. Google’s VP of Chrome, Parisa Tabriz, called it an opportunity to build a sustainable open-source platform for future browser innovation. Meanwhile, Microsoft VP Meghan Perez said the project aligns with their commitment to collaborative web development.
The differences between Chromium and Google Chrome matter here. Chromium is more open but lacks features like automatic updates, Google service integration, and DRM modules, making it less commercially polished. The Linux Foundation’s Jim Zemlin said this initiative will empower developers and ensure funding for independent innovation in the browser space.
With support from some of the world’s biggest tech companies, the Linux Foundation is signaling that open-source browsers are here to stay — and will evolve beyond Google’s influence.
Is Jensen Huang wrong about Quantum Computing?
Quantum computing stocks took a nosedive this week after Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang predicted that practical quantum computers could be 20 years away. The comments, made during his keynote at CES 2025, triggered a sell-off, wiping out over $8 billion in market value. Shares of Rigetti, D-Wave Quantum, Quantum Computing Inc., and IonQ all dropped more than 40%.
But not everyone agrees with Huang’s outlook. D-Wave Quantum, a Canadian company, hit back hard. CEO Alan Baratz, in an interview on CNBC, called Huang “dead wrong,” pointing out that D-Wave’s annealing quantum computers are already commercially viable and solving real-world problems. Baratz highlighted clients like Mastercard and Ford who are using D-Wave’s technology today, not in 15 or 20 years.
Baratz also noted that Huang’s timeline might apply to gate model quantum computers, but it doesn’t reflect the current capabilities of D-Wave’s annealing approach. According to Baratz, D-Wave’s machines can solve complex problems, such as materials simulation, in minutes — something that traditional systems would take millions of years to compute.
Despite D-Wave’s defense, its stock still plunged 36% following Huang’s remarks. However, Baratz remains confident, emphasizing that quantum computing is already making a commercial impact and is far from the distant dream Huang described.
I’m a big fan of Jensen Huang and I’m not going to be the one to throw stones, living in my glass quantum house and all that. It’s so easy when you are speaking to put a controversial statement out there, without really thinking of the impact. We aren’t responsible for stock prices, but someone out there who is working a real quantum project with DWave or some other firm may have just got called in to ask what the hell they were doing.
And it’s a warning to all of us that in a world of sound bites, sometimes we need to dig a little deeper to find the nuance and the truth.
That’s our show for today. Just a reminder that we have our first weekend show with the panel from Project Synapse to talk about what’s coming in AI in what is going to be a year of incredible transformation. Check it out on Saturday morning.
You can find show notes at technewsday.com or .ca, take your pick.
You can reach me at editorial@technewsday.ca
I’m your host Jim Love – have a Fabulous Friday
