February 25, 2025 • 35 mins
Friend of the show, Howie Mandell is filling in for Jason Alexander. He’s the only man balder than Jason so… it works!
Lately, TikTok has been in the news with claims that it’s an arm of the Chinese Government - but with 170 million Americans on the app, is there a danger?
Billionaire Frank McCourt thinks this perceived danger can be turned into a positive by using TikTok’s American userbase to supercharge a brand new and improved internet. Really, no really!
Frank McCourt, Jr. is a civic entrepreneur and the executive chairman of McCourt Global, a private family company committed to building a better future through real estate, sports, technology, media, and capital investment industries.
Additionally, he's the founder of Project Liberty, a far-reaching, $500 million initiative focused on leading a movement of people who want to take back control of their lives in the digital age by reclaiming the internet.
Frank also owns the French football club Olympique de Marseille and formerly owned the Los Angeles Dodgers.
***
IN THIS EPISODE:
- How influential are apps like TikTok?
- The weaponization of social media has empowered mob rule.
- McCourt founded Project Liberty to take control of our data & privacy.
- TikTok poses an existential threat?
- People should have the right to own and sell their own data.
- Would Howie lose his 11 million followers if Frank buys TikTok?
- TikTok influencers don’t know who their followers are unlike other platforms.
- Influencers, not social media platforms should own their followers.
- The Chinese Government can feed disinformation to 170 million Americans; to get them to believe what the Chinese want them to believe.
- Mr. Beast, Kevin O’Leary… …and maybe Howie, are joining Project Liberty.
- But will Byte Dance actually sell U.S. TikTok?
- Jason returns and has thoughts!
***
FOLLOW FRANK:
Website (McCourt Global): mccourt.com
Website (Project Liberty): projectliberty.io
Website (Fix TikTok): thepeoplesbid.com
Instagram: @pro_jectliberty
X: @pro_jectliberty
***
FOLLOW REALLY NO REALLY:
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:03):
Now really.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
Really now, really well and welcome to really know really,
but Jason Alexander and Peter Tilden, who remind you that
we're still patiently waiting for you to subscribe to our show.
So TikTok, And speaking of TikTok, it has been in
the news in a big way lately, delisted banned under Biden,
then relisted under Trump. But for how long will the
(00:27):
band stick? Will the Chinese government continue to allegedly manipulate
Americans with disinformation? Or will it divest and sell to
a third party. One man who may well know the
answers to all these questions is billionaire Frank McCourt, who
is attempting to buy TikTok and transform not only the app,
but the Internet itself. Really no, really, He is working
(00:49):
with a cabal of investors, including mister Beast, Shark Tanks,
Kevin O'Leary, and perhaps even our own Howie Mandel, to
buy TikTok and transform it into a virtual Internet to
point oh that gives individuals you ownership of your data.
Revolutionary idea publicity stunt, or a better, safer.
Speaker 1 (01:08):
Internet of the future.
Speaker 2 (01:10):
Jason Alexander couldn't make it for this episode to find out,
so he reached out to another Baldyat to fill in
in fact, an even balder guy and a big friend
of the show, mister Howie Mandel. So here are two
guys who are our own personal dealer, no deal, Peter
and Hollie.
Speaker 1 (01:28):
What is that I shouldn't put this on here because
it's a It's okay, it's branded, but you can always
use a brand. Really no, really, So I just want
to welcome ever body to really know, really, and with
Peter Tilden and Jason Alexander, Jason not here today really
(01:48):
really no really, So we said, is there anyone bald
they can fill in for? Jason? And Howie Mendel was
sitting in here, which is weird. You sitting here between
shooting your pocket could go daze and you're just in here.
Speaker 3 (01:59):
I just haven't left, and I would say anyhow to
I watch you and Jason, and I know what you're
gonna say. I love your show. I watch your show,
and you're gonna say, really, no, really, I'm serious, and
that I do you you really?
Speaker 1 (02:12):
You know I love it. The emphasis to show that
you're not lying is the finger you went. I do
I'm a parent. I do. I'm a parent. I have
to do that for your kids. You have to say
sit down and I mean it. Yeah, I mean it.
I mean it. In today's episode is TikTok is in
the news. And I don't know if you know this,
but the statistics are that one hundred and seventy million
(02:34):
Americans use it. One third of those are under fourteen.
And we have Frank McCourt on, who was we know
him here as the owner of the Dodgers. But Frank
is trying to buy TikTok with the guy from Shark Tank,
Kevin O'Leary and mister Bees, which is to me, who
you know and Jim to me, he's Jimmy.
Speaker 3 (02:53):
I think there are worldwide billions of people that are
uploading TikTok on really, no, really, we are going to
have some inside information right now. We are going to
get that nobody will the person that might be instrumental
inktok and be instrumental in how it works, how it
(03:14):
continues to work, what if there's any changes, if there's
anything is coming up, and whether you are a fifteen
year old girl that is coming up with a new
dance or somebody who is really concerned about the future
of our safety because information may be leaked to a
perceived enemy. This is the guy that has the answer.
(03:36):
So nobody's going to turn away right now.
Speaker 1 (03:38):
You know that. They say the whole generation is getting
all their information from TikTok.
Speaker 3 (03:43):
If you can control a software, any kind of software,
and TikTok is probably one of the most prevalent softwares
right now in our world, whether it's America on our plane,
they can get into once you can control that, even
(04:03):
if it's just Charlie Demilio who made millions dancing, they
could get into through her bank account, into a bank
in America, and then through once you're inside the bank,
you can get more information.
Speaker 1 (04:17):
It's like a never ending But they also and I
know you do this too. We've had this conversation in
between waiting between shows. The album is going to feed
you only what it wants to knows the more they
can sell you. People live in people live in their
own algorithms.
Speaker 3 (04:31):
Anyhow, I was having a discussion earlier today with somebody
and I said, they said, what is your fear of
the world? And I feel, whether you're on social media
or not, most people and I say this as somebody
who travels a lot from place to place. Tomorrow I'm
going to be in Fargo. But what I find is,
and you might know this, is that wherever you go,
(04:53):
the average person doesn't go anywhere.
Speaker 1 (04:56):
I will land.
Speaker 3 (04:57):
A guy in his fifties will pick me up and
tell me he's never been on a plane before. And
our parents of our generation, everybody that came into the
house looked the same, had the same socioeconomic kind of level.
And so people don't that's your algorithm.
Speaker 1 (05:13):
Whatever.
Speaker 3 (05:14):
My mom used to call me from a condo and
you go, you know what everybody likes.
Speaker 1 (05:17):
No, you don't know what everybody likes. That's your choice.
Now you're getting fed information whether you like it or not.
Let's go, you know we should do. Go to Frank.
Let's go to Frank. Frank.
Speaker 4 (05:25):
How are you guys?
Speaker 1 (05:27):
I'm good, Frank. I don't know if you remember me.
I was at KBC.
Speaker 4 (05:29):
I do remember you.
Speaker 5 (05:30):
How are you?
Speaker 1 (05:32):
I'm good?
Speaker 5 (05:32):
So?
Speaker 1 (05:33):
How are you?
Speaker 4 (05:33):
How are you doing? How you How have you guys
been bearing up with the LA situation?
Speaker 1 (05:37):
There always okay, I'm living in one room with my
family right now because I had to flee the Pala States.
So it's been a tough time and it's a real
tough time.
Speaker 3 (05:46):
And the fact that he is sitting here today broadcasting
and here for you is our ultimate Really, no, really,
this guy's been it was a little tough through it's
still tough.
Speaker 1 (05:56):
Good thanks Frank, thank you for that, and sorry.
Speaker 4 (05:59):
You're going through it.
Speaker 6 (05:59):
I have two boys still living out in La So
there's a whole group of people whose lives are upside
down now and kids that are just everything that they
you know, they thought everything was safe and great and.
Speaker 4 (06:10):
Now that's right.
Speaker 1 (06:12):
Well, very exactly. Thank God for TikTok But let's let's
so let's do this. Welcome Frank, mister Frank McCourt, who
I knew from the Dodgers when you were in La. So,
Frank McCourt is trying to buy TikTok Son. Why don't
you give us some context to how that, How are
you doing that, who you're doing it with? And do
they want to sell do they even want to sell?
Speaker 6 (06:34):
Well personal great to be with you guys and appreciate
your interest in the subject. And and Peter, I'm really
glad you started with La Connection because that was my
early epiphany here. I mean you you you know what
I went through out there during during my very public divorce,
(06:55):
and it was you know, very uncomfortable, humiliating, you know,
and to be battered around by social media.
Speaker 4 (07:03):
It's just it's not a good feeling. That was my
first glimpse.
Speaker 6 (07:07):
And I'm not asking you to be sorry for me,
because I'm doing great and everything worked out, you know,
worked out for me, but it was I really saw
that social media had become weaponized.
Speaker 4 (07:18):
It's it just favors my behavior.
Speaker 6 (07:22):
And I ended up selling the Dodgers for you know,
a ton of dough and worked out great, and I
thought I'd do something positive with what I had learned.
So that's when I shifted gears and in twenty nineteen
launched this project Project Liberty. Committed a half a billion
dollars to it to actually go back to my roots,
(07:43):
which are infrastructure roots. My family's been building infrastructure for
five generations. When I started Project Liberty, I had no
idea that there was going to be legislation banned TikTok,
But when it happened, I thought it was just, you know,
an incredible opportunity to buy us TikTok. Move the user base,
the one hundred and seventy million Americans over to a
(08:04):
new clean stack where they're not exploited, they're not survelled,
their data is not taken from them, they own their data,
they can get value forward.
Speaker 4 (08:17):
And if we can get.
Speaker 6 (08:18):
One hundred and seventy million Americans over, then we have
an alternative Internet that we can actually use.
Speaker 1 (08:26):
Can I ask questions?
Speaker 3 (08:27):
So my question to you is, I understand that the
reason and the fear that people have toward TikTok is
that a perceived enemy, namely China, has access to whatever
information has been put into this bite dance. You would
in purchasing if that should go through in purchasing a TikTok,
(08:52):
do I, as a TikTok user, have to re up
with whatever your platform is or it does it does
it automatically come out of byte dance into your stack
and they already have that information?
Speaker 1 (09:08):
Is that erased in some way? Like what is the safety?
Speaker 6 (09:12):
Great great question, and first answer is yes, you would.
TikTok users would go ahead and the experience would be
very similar to the experience today. They would be able
to enjoy TikTok and use TikTok and be connected just
like people are today, but in lieu of being surveilled
(09:35):
and having their data scrade and being subject to you know,
to missing disinformation because once China has your data, then
they can go ahead and feed you information. Right in
lieu of that, you would be permissioning the use of
your data with others, and you would actually be able
(09:57):
to get value for your data as well. So the
user experience very similar, the look and feel the same,
but it would empower the one hundred and seventy million
people on TikTok rather than just the platform that is
that is taking advantage of them.
Speaker 4 (10:17):
So that's that's the difference.
Speaker 3 (10:20):
As a user, I have eleven million followers on TikTok
right now. So the one hundred and seventy million Americans
who have accumulated this kind of following and this kind
of audience, as I look at them, I would have
to abandon what is now TikTok to go to your
Why would I give up those eleven million followers who
(10:41):
are on TikTok.
Speaker 4 (10:42):
Okay, So it's actually just the opposite.
Speaker 6 (10:44):
Howie, I met with twenty of the top influencers on
TikTok at the time we were announcing the bid, because
I wanted to make sure we weren't king to just
get blown out of the water by the major influences
on TikTok. Right when we announced this bid, so I
hosted at dinner out in Malibu with twenty of them
that have over one hundred million of one hundred and
(11:05):
seventy million followers or people following that month on TikTok,
and I came away with incredible insight into what they
like and what they don't like about the platform. And
what they don't like about the platform are two things.
Number One, they post a interesting video and they it
(11:29):
goes viral and they're famous and they love it. They
post another video that's very similar in their mind and
it's nothing. Nothing happens, and they have no idea why
on TikTok because it's it's a content graph, not social
graph technology, meaning it's content that gets amplified. Right, it's
(11:50):
not people are following, not Hollowie, but content that Howie
posts on TikTok. The influences on TikTok don't They don't
know who they're following. They don't have any insight int
who that community is, unlike the other social media platforms
that are social graphic based. So when we told them
(12:11):
that they would not only know who their followers are,
but they would own them. We won't own them or
byte dance wouldn't own them, they would own their relationships.
Wanted to make very very important for your listeners to understand.
It's not that China has data on one hundred and
seventy million Americans.
Speaker 4 (12:31):
That's the worst part of this.
Speaker 6 (12:33):
It's that China can feed information to one hundred and
seventy million Americans. That suits China to get those one
hundred and seventy million.
Speaker 4 (12:43):
People to believe it.
Speaker 6 (12:45):
Half of the people that use TikTok are getting all
their news from TikTok, and only one percent of that
news quote unquote is coming from reliable sources.
Speaker 4 (12:56):
It's just information that may or may not be correct
or or verified.
Speaker 6 (13:01):
So it's not like resource news that's been validated. It's
the manipulation of people that that freaked out Congers.
Speaker 1 (13:11):
So Frank here asking a couple of questions. Number one,
how do you monitor I can hear people yelling about
your house to monetize his platform? Number one? Number two
are you going to get one hundred and seventy million?
And the third part of that is does this company
White Dance put a name by way, do they want
to sell? Do you have a shot at this or
how's this moving along? And what if they say no?
Speaker 4 (13:32):
Okay?
Speaker 6 (13:33):
So if the Chinese Communist Party or the founder and
controlling shareholder by Dance, either of them or both of
them decide not to sell it, to shut it down,
it's game over.
Speaker 4 (13:43):
Okay, we don't control that outcome.
Speaker 6 (13:46):
If they agree to sell it, then it gets interesting
for us because it's not going to go just to
the highest bidder. It's going to someone that can actually
solve for the national security issues, which means a complete
disentanglement from the Chinese technology, which means you need to
(14:06):
have a tech stack to move the user base and
the data over to If you don't have that, then
you can't bid. That's where Project Liberty came in because
we had been building a tech stack for four and
a half years and it was up and running, so
otherwise we wouldn't be a.
Speaker 4 (14:23):
Bitter for this.
Speaker 6 (14:24):
As far as the model, the economic model, there will
be advertising in this new world, but rather than have
advertising to be based on scraping our data, profiling us,
pushing ads towards us, in other words, targeting us, maybe
sending us some stuff that's relevant, and maybe sending us
(14:45):
a lot of stuff that's a nuisance.
Speaker 4 (14:47):
Why not shift from.
Speaker 6 (14:49):
An attention economy to an intention economy where you want
to buy something competer Just go online and say you're
I'm a real person. I can verify that I'm a person.
I'm not a bot, or I'm not pretending I'm Howie.
You can withhold your your name as I'm interested in
buying still in the blank, show me what.
Speaker 3 (15:10):
You have as somebody who is on social media and
a big probably a bigger part of what I do
is on social media than what people know me for
on television. My question to you is, why would you
buy TikTok when for the last four years you have
built a stack that can actually handle that kind of business.
(15:33):
Why wouldn't you just launch that and offer something more.
Speaker 1 (15:38):
I'll tell you something.
Speaker 3 (15:39):
I make money on YouTube, I make money on other platforms.
The hardest place for me to make money is on TikTok,
even with a supposedly eleven million followers. Why don't you
just offer a big you know, because that's what's driven
the influencer or the creator to those platforms. Why would
(15:59):
you waste money and buy TikTok when you can just
replicate and do it yourself.
Speaker 6 (16:06):
Well, and we we are and we will, so we're
not putting all of our eggs in this basket.
Speaker 4 (16:13):
This is just a would be an incredible way to.
Speaker 6 (16:18):
Actually turn a problem into a solution. So take something
that's a threat to the country, turn it into a
new Internet that's better for people and how you know,
as well as anyone the most challenging part of of
any new tech idea on the Internet is how do
you get adoption right? How do you get how do
(16:40):
you create traction? And this money instant traction, that's it.
Speaker 1 (16:45):
That's not money.
Speaker 4 (16:47):
That's the benefit to us.
Speaker 6 (16:48):
We're building this alternative Internet with or without TikTok.
Speaker 3 (16:52):
But if you took the money that you were kind
of allocating to buy the brand as it were, if
you took that money and play and paid it to
the creators, I think that people are following. That's why
they're called influencers. If you own the influencers, if you
own those top twenty people that you talk to in Malibu,
(17:12):
and you paid them enough, people are going to follow
as you said, they follow the content. So if you
could buy the content, then you could get it without
actually buying then and you could relegate TikTok to you
know almost nothing without buying it.
Speaker 4 (17:29):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (17:40):
If you could buy the content, then you could get
it without actually buying then. Yeah, and you could relegate
TikTok to you know, almost nothing without buying it.
Speaker 1 (17:53):
Yeah.
Speaker 6 (17:53):
And that's why we call it the people's bit because
our whole point of view here is I want to
green Bay packer this thing, just like the fans on
the packers. I want the influencers to own a big
chunk of this business. We believe our premises the current
Internet is fundamentally broken. It's doing more damage than it's
doing good. It's doing good things, but it's doing a
(18:15):
lot of bad things.
Speaker 4 (18:16):
And and and.
Speaker 6 (18:18):
Our premise is that the reason why it's creating the
harms and doing the damage that it's doing is because
it was never designed to do what it was doing.
When the inventors of the Internet, when Tim Berners lead,
the inventor of the World Wide Web, set it up,
it was not imagine that it was going to connect
billions of people without any rules of the road whatsoever,
(18:41):
and so it's amplifying bad stuff. Look at look at
the our information ecosystem. It's hard to tell facts from fiction.
Speaker 3 (18:49):
But everybody not only but not only digitally, like even
regular mainstream media is tough to believe.
Speaker 6 (18:56):
I and can guess what mainstream media did when the
Internet became the predominant means of communication. What everybody everybody
sat around in those conventional media boardrooms when they were
deciding what was going to be the headline of the
day or what was going to go on the the
you know, the traditional newscast, it was what's trending. And
(19:20):
what was missed in this whole equation is what trends
online is not the most researched news, the most important story,
even not even a factually accurate story. It's what gets
the most followers. And we've learned that what gets the
most followers is the most extreme and that doesn't mean
it's at all accurate. So our information system has been
(19:43):
completely contaminated under a I know that money is a
great incentive for people, and if people just stop for
a second look at the value of these five or
seven companies, it's it's you based on our data. That's
that's that's what creates the value of the enterprise. And
(20:07):
it's only going to get bigger and bigger and bigger
with AI.
Speaker 4 (20:12):
People. If if people, if people own.
Speaker 6 (20:14):
And control their their data and permission it's use, then
they're going to get They're going to.
Speaker 4 (20:20):
Set the terms. Imagine an Internet Peter.
Speaker 6 (20:23):
We're rather than clicking mindlessly on the terms and conditions
of use of a few platforms giving up everything for
a free app, the new apps are clicking on your
terms and conditions.
Speaker 4 (20:34):
Of use for your data.
Speaker 6 (20:35):
But can I If it's some use case that's going
to cure cancer, you're going to say you can have
my data on an anonymous basis.
Speaker 4 (20:42):
If it's a commercial thing, you're going to say, I
want to get taped.
Speaker 3 (20:44):
But Frank, Frank all all. You know, I'm just going
to be you know, totally. I don't think the average
person that is on TikTok really cares about their data.
I don't think the average person on TikTok really cares
about what China is going to do with my bank account,
(21:05):
which China is going to want you. You did explain
to me that the bigger deal is that they'll be
able to push miscombation in my way, and maybe that'll
kind of convince me to do you know their agenda.
That being said, if you want to push people off TikTok,
wich you didn't answer.
Speaker 1 (21:24):
Was the question I asked, why don't?
Speaker 3 (21:27):
Because money does drive movement, Why don't you just offer
all this money that you your conglomerate is putting together
to the actual users. I promise you that the average person,
whether you're fifteen years old, whether you're five years old,
will go on I'd rather dance on TikTok and on
your TikTok and get big money. Whereas when I dance
(21:51):
on my TikTok, even with the eleven million viewers, people
like to accumulate numbers. They they're more fascinated with accumulating dollars.
I'd rather dance on yours, and you give me the
money and save the money that you want to give
bike dance, give it to me, and I promise you
I and everybody I know will be dancing on your platform.
Speaker 6 (22:10):
Yeah, and I'm sorry, I thought I answered that question
by saying, card a pull up the people's bid because
we want the influencers we if we're successful in buying it,
to come on over and incentivize them to come over
because they're getting paid and they're going to own a
piece of the equity. And what I intended on communicating
(22:30):
is if we're unsuccessful because byt Dance shuts it down
or because someone else buys it, not us, then we're
going to continue to chug along doing what we're doing
and incentivize people to.
Speaker 4 (22:42):
Move to this new world.
Speaker 6 (22:44):
And and part of that incentive will be influencers and
creators and so forth getting paid. And by the way,
it will also be regular Joe sixpack getting paid for
his data. Everybody will get paid for their data, and
those that have data that's more valuable like yours, will
(23:06):
get paid eleven million times more. So it's not that,
but everybody is in this party because everybody is producing
data all day long that is driving that is driving
the value of these companies. And so by all means,
we're gonna we're going to carry on here with or
(23:26):
without a successful bid for daytime.
Speaker 1 (23:28):
Okay. And by the way, is mister beasts.
Speaker 4 (23:30):
Part of this, Mister Beast, is that Jimmy's part of
every bid.
Speaker 1 (23:36):
He's very friendly with Jimmy. I'm the only one who's
not friendly with Himming. So he's part of every bid
and others. I know, you have the guy who is
involved in the beginning of the Internet, is part of
your consortium, correct.
Speaker 6 (23:47):
All the people that build these We have two parts
of Project Liberty. One part is a commercial part, because
this has to be a vibrant commercial system to ever
happen and be real with lots of people using at
building and making money. And then there's a not for
profit piece, which is where a lot of the academics
and the universities and the people they just want to
(24:08):
fix this mess sit. We're suggesting there needs to be
another simple, poorlier protocol.
Speaker 4 (24:15):
Nobody owns it. Everybody owns it.
Speaker 6 (24:17):
It's open source that connects us for the first time.
We should be a person on the Internet. After fifty
years of Internet technology, not a device. You and I
are still and I I have an ID address, We're
still a device on the Internet. We're not a person,
and that's fundamentally part of the problem.
Speaker 1 (24:34):
Can I be part of the consortium? And by the way,
I was just going to say, I was going to
say goodbye to you. Thank you, Frank, But do know
I know how we well enough. I know thirty plus
years he's raring to be part of this order. I
want to be.
Speaker 3 (24:47):
I actually think what you're doing. And I hadn't spoken
to anybody. I spoke to Kevin a little bit. Kevin
has been here in the office and I talked to him.
And I have my own issues that I would like
to because I do believe that aside from whatever the
dangers that you foresee, the personal dangers that the Internet
is kind of putting upon us with mental health, it's
(25:11):
and I would imagine on your platform there will be
guardrails in as far as what that content is. It's
not only misinformation, even if it's real information. People are
getting hurt by it. And there needs to be a
much more responsible way to broadcast any of this and
be transparent.
Speaker 6 (25:30):
So I would love to be a small tell yourself
in this is the people fit we want it. The
more I want to help create a new Internet that
we all can benefit from.
Speaker 3 (25:42):
So are you going to replicate Instagram and YouTube and
all these other platforms?
Speaker 1 (25:47):
Is that what your goal is?
Speaker 4 (25:49):
It's it's it. They will all be replicated. I'm not
going to replicate the more.
Speaker 6 (25:54):
There'll be millions of people building on this new infrastructure
and it will be far far better. You know what
I want your listeners to to think about, is we
hear dabted that you. I heard you say. People don't
care about their privacy. People don't care about this, We
don't think about it. I want everybody to understand, your
data is you. It's your personhood. It's literally you in
(26:20):
the digital age. Why in the world would we want
to let someone else own us. It's ridiculous. It's time
to take back what's ours, build a better version of
the Internet.
Speaker 4 (26:34):
We now know what this thing is capable of. Let's
just fix it.
Speaker 1 (26:40):
Frank, I want to say thanks for coming on. One
critique of you though. You got to start thinking big
and then you got to start opening up outside of them. Really,
thank you for coming on and explaining that it's it's
in the You're welcome.
Speaker 4 (26:53):
Let's fix it and enjoy it. Keep our kids safe.
Speaker 1 (26:57):
Thank you, buddy. Thanks for coming on, Frank. Important, we're
talking to a hero. Look. I hope I hope it
worked out. I hope it works out the way that
it was explained that you can do it. And uh
thanks for coming up. Oh look who's here? Look who's here?
(27:25):
So we can see Uh, you know we should have
place uside on the internet. Look at the friggin' bell.
That's what we need.
Speaker 3 (27:31):
I'm a stunt double on this episode of Really, Really
you did I?
Speaker 1 (27:35):
Did?
Speaker 7 (27:35):
I go to Chicago hope and budget? And did I?
What other thing were you in? Do I go to
deal or no deal? And go I have a better deal?
Do I what what?
Speaker 1 (27:46):
Rob Court and.
Speaker 5 (27:47):
Frank McCourt shows up and now all of a sudden,
save the.
Speaker 3 (27:50):
World, buddy, And I mean that really no, really, he's
gonna save the world and you missed it?
Speaker 1 (27:56):
Where were you?
Speaker 5 (27:56):
And I still benefit from this your show?
Speaker 1 (27:59):
Did you have a doctor? Was that where you were
a doctor's?
Speaker 5 (28:01):
Look at me?
Speaker 7 (28:02):
I got I don't know if you can say I
got a bandage?
Speaker 1 (28:04):
Here?
Speaker 5 (28:04):
I got a bandage.
Speaker 1 (28:05):
She happened to you? Did you fall? It? Was it
an elective?
Speaker 6 (28:07):
No?
Speaker 5 (28:08):
I didn't fall. You move the date of our tape?
Speaker 1 (28:11):
I didn't. I don't move any have no power in that.
Speaker 5 (28:13):
I waited a month to get this doctor appointment.
Speaker 7 (28:15):
I live in pain, Peter, not psychic pain like you,
real physical pain.
Speaker 1 (28:22):
And It's not often you see a Jew complaining.
Speaker 7 (28:28):
I went to I had to go to Cedars to
my hand doctor.
Speaker 5 (28:32):
I have ten denyed this. This I have is Frank.
Speaker 7 (28:35):
Can Frank McCourt pay for my medical conditions?
Speaker 1 (28:39):
You know what? Let's say, Frank be saving the world.
But you know what, daff Frank up again, Jason's.
Speaker 3 (28:46):
I'll fill you in on what's happened so far. In
the meantime, come take your seat.
Speaker 1 (28:50):
By the way, here's what you here's a big part
of what you missed. I'm part of. You couldn't been
a partner. There's gonna be breakthrough of a brand new Internet.
And I'm sitting next to the guy I'm in the
Consortium of Internet. He's right there.
Speaker 3 (29:04):
If you want such a Fetch, which is that the
name of the site production name?
Speaker 1 (29:11):
We need a new name for the Internet. Do you
have a name for that new Frank?
Speaker 5 (29:16):
What was wrong with what you said? I thought Fetch
was very good.
Speaker 8 (29:20):
I'm dancing on him Fetch today. Did you catch my
I didn't renegate on Fetch. I catched seven or eight
times today, knocked out party. Frank, by the way, he's
not Frank.
Speaker 1 (29:34):
Here we go buddy. Look, come in lady, gentlemen. Frank McCourt.
Speaker 7 (29:38):
Hi, Frank, let's start from the beginning. You know what,
why what do you do for a living? I'm not
familiar with you.
Speaker 1 (29:46):
It's gonna be one at this one and every one
of those. I'll explain to you what happened, why you
were going at the doc.
Speaker 7 (29:51):
Yeah, if you could. I don't want to take too
much time, Can I say? Can I make an observation?
And I don't mean to be this guy, but for
a man who does a well as Frank mcca, I'm
not that impressed with the room.
Speaker 1 (30:02):
That he's in. You don't realize that out that window
was seven thousand acres. Well, remember the.
Speaker 7 (30:09):
Guy that we talked to that also knew the Internet,
the early guy, and he had like he had a room.
Speaker 1 (30:13):
We thought, of course he was gymrasium. He was. It
was so big a silicon volley.
Speaker 7 (30:18):
I'll take you to lunch because I feel terrible that
I missed our interview.
Speaker 1 (30:23):
It's on me. I wouldn't even put you out. I
hold you up.
Speaker 4 (30:28):
I'm gonna hold you to that.
Speaker 6 (30:28):
I'm gonna hold Mandel to him joining the big People's
bit for TikTok.
Speaker 1 (30:32):
I love it.
Speaker 7 (30:35):
I ask a question you can how did it go?
Did you enjoy how he's company?
Speaker 1 (30:42):
How is it? You know what? How he was really
more than me? Yeah, because I was interested he was
buying TikTok now he's eleven million followers, How he was
investing with him, how he was really interested in in
the influencer part of this, and how Frank could if
he doesn't buy TikTok maybe still launch his initiative. What
(31:02):
she's going to do. Yeah, I can't wait to hear
this episode.
Speaker 7 (31:06):
This is gonna be my favorite episode because I won't
anything that happened.
Speaker 1 (31:10):
No, you will, you wire, Oh, because it's going to
be new to you. It's all going to be new
to me. You'll hear it.
Speaker 7 (31:15):
It's as my mother says, Richard poor, you can do
anything with money.
Speaker 1 (31:21):
No, it's good to see you. It was nice. And
how he was here. We had we had him starting.
Speaker 7 (31:26):
By the way, seriously, thanks you having Billy, and that
was really lovely. I got I got button traffic. And
how he's now going to be poor. God knows you
couldn't do this on your own. So I'm so glad
how he was here oh did I go Google?
Speaker 1 (31:41):
All right?
Speaker 7 (31:42):
David, by the way, last episode he laughed at that.
Speaker 1 (31:46):
Okay, goodbye day. So David, what what do you see?
Speaker 7 (31:49):
What do you hear that that was lacking? We didn't
ask for a lot that was lacking. I'm sure when
I'm not here, there's a big lie.
Speaker 1 (31:58):
It didn't have enough hair right with Yeah, I'm glad.
Speaker 4 (32:04):
Laurie has told me that we have to wrap it
up anyway without me.
Speaker 1 (32:07):
You guys were so on the money, it's amazing. Well
I have no money. Those two credit the money. No,
we're the money and now how it's an interesting it's
an interesting topic. It's going to be interesting to really
and to see what happens with white dance and China. Hey,
look at you, and you're just in time to say
goodby Dia. Next time on Really No, Now Really.
Speaker 2 (32:29):
As another episode of Really No Really comes to a close,
I know you're wondering how much money do social media
apps make and where's that money coming from? Well, I'll
add it all up for you in a moment, but
first let's thank our guest, Frank McCourt. You can follow
Frank on his company website McCourt dot com. And you
can follow the progress of his Project to Liberty and
the attempt to purchase tik dot on the websites projectiliberty
(32:51):
dot io or the People's Bid dot com. You can
also follow on Instagram and x where it is at
pro underscore Jet to Liberty. Find all pertinent links in
our show notes, our little show hangs out on Instagram,
TikTok YouTube, and threads at really No Really podcasts. And
of course you can share your thoughts and feedback with
(33:12):
us online.
Speaker 5 (33:12):
At reallynoreally dot com.
Speaker 2 (33:14):
If you have a really some amazing factor story that
boggles your mind, share it with us and if we
use it, we will send you a little gift. Nothing
life changing, obviously, but it's the thought that counts. Check
out our full episodes on YouTube, hit that subscribe button
and take that bell so you're updated when we release
new videos and episodes, which we do each Tuesday. So
(33:35):
listen and follow us on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts
or wherever you get your podcasts. And now the answer
to the question how much money do social media apps
make and where's that money coming from? Well, in lieu
of subscriptions or membership bees social media apps like Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat,
TikTok x, and YouTube make their money from advertising, commercials
(33:56):
and banner ads galore. The total take for these apps
is nearly impossible to uncover, but in twenty twenty three,
nearly eleven billion dollars of that revenue came from US
based users younger than eighteen years old.
Speaker 1 (34:09):
It's right.
Speaker 2 (34:09):
The vast majority of social media advertising is focused on children,
and of that eleven million, eight point six billion came
from users thirteen to seventeen, while two point one came
from users under the age of twelve. YouTube, Instagram, and
Facebook were the favorites of the twelve and under group,
while Instagram also led on users thirteen to seventeen, followed
by TikTok and YouTube. In December of twenty twenty three,
(34:31):
a Harvard research team wrote, as concerns about youth mental
health grows, more and more policymakers are trying to introduce
legislation to curtail social media platform practices that may drive depression, anxiety,
and disordered eating in young people. Although social media platforms clean,
they can self regulate their practices to reduce the harms
to young people, they have yet to do so.
Speaker 1 (34:53):
And our study suggests.
Speaker 2 (34:54):
They have overwhelming financial incentives to continue to delay taking
meaningful steps to prit children. And with that, folks, it's
good to know that the madness that is the Internet
is specifically designed to engage people under the age of twelve.
So hold that thought next time you're doom scrolling. And
here's to Frank mccourton. Internet two point zero really, no,
(35:15):
really is production of iHeartRadio and Blase Entertainment.
Now really.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
Really now, really well and welcome to really know really,
but Jason Alexander and Peter Tilden, who remind you that
we're still patiently waiting for you to subscribe to our show.
So TikTok, And speaking of TikTok, it has been in
the news in a big way lately, delisted banned under Biden,
then relisted under Trump. But for how long will the
(00:27):
band stick? Will the Chinese government continue to allegedly manipulate
Americans with disinformation? Or will it divest and sell to
a third party. One man who may well know the
answers to all these questions is billionaire Frank McCourt, who
is attempting to buy TikTok and transform not only the app,
but the Internet itself. Really no, really, He is working
(00:49):
with a cabal of investors, including mister Beast, Shark Tanks,
Kevin O'Leary, and perhaps even our own Howie Mandel, to
buy TikTok and transform it into a virtual Internet to
point oh that gives individuals you ownership of your data.
Revolutionary idea publicity stunt, or a better, safer.
Speaker 1 (01:08):
Internet of the future.
Speaker 2 (01:10):
Jason Alexander couldn't make it for this episode to find out,
so he reached out to another Baldyat to fill in
in fact, an even balder guy and a big friend
of the show, mister Howie Mandel. So here are two
guys who are our own personal dealer, no deal, Peter
and Hollie.
Speaker 1 (01:28):
What is that I shouldn't put this on here because
it's a It's okay, it's branded, but you can always
use a brand. Really no, really, So I just want
to welcome ever body to really know, really, and with
Peter Tilden and Jason Alexander, Jason not here today really
(01:48):
really no really, So we said, is there anyone bald
they can fill in for? Jason? And Howie Mendel was
sitting in here, which is weird. You sitting here between
shooting your pocket could go daze and you're just in here.
Speaker 3 (01:59):
I just haven't left, and I would say anyhow to
I watch you and Jason, and I know what you're
gonna say. I love your show. I watch your show,
and you're gonna say, really, no, really, I'm serious, and
that I do you you really?
Speaker 1 (02:12):
You know I love it. The emphasis to show that
you're not lying is the finger you went. I do
I'm a parent. I do. I'm a parent. I have
to do that for your kids. You have to say
sit down and I mean it. Yeah, I mean it.
I mean it. In today's episode is TikTok is in
the news. And I don't know if you know this,
but the statistics are that one hundred and seventy million
(02:34):
Americans use it. One third of those are under fourteen.
And we have Frank McCourt on, who was we know
him here as the owner of the Dodgers. But Frank
is trying to buy TikTok with the guy from Shark Tank,
Kevin O'Leary and mister Bees, which is to me, who
you know and Jim to me, he's Jimmy.
Speaker 3 (02:53):
I think there are worldwide billions of people that are
uploading TikTok on really, no, really, we are going to
have some inside information right now. We are going to
get that nobody will the person that might be instrumental
inktok and be instrumental in how it works, how it
(03:14):
continues to work, what if there's any changes, if there's
anything is coming up, and whether you are a fifteen
year old girl that is coming up with a new
dance or somebody who is really concerned about the future
of our safety because information may be leaked to a
perceived enemy. This is the guy that has the answer.
(03:36):
So nobody's going to turn away right now.
Speaker 1 (03:38):
You know that. They say the whole generation is getting
all their information from TikTok.
Speaker 3 (03:43):
If you can control a software, any kind of software,
and TikTok is probably one of the most prevalent softwares
right now in our world, whether it's America on our plane,
they can get into once you can control that, even
(04:03):
if it's just Charlie Demilio who made millions dancing, they
could get into through her bank account, into a bank
in America, and then through once you're inside the bank,
you can get more information.
Speaker 1 (04:17):
It's like a never ending But they also and I
know you do this too. We've had this conversation in
between waiting between shows. The album is going to feed
you only what it wants to knows the more they
can sell you. People live in people live in their
own algorithms.
Speaker 3 (04:31):
Anyhow, I was having a discussion earlier today with somebody
and I said, they said, what is your fear of
the world? And I feel, whether you're on social media
or not, most people and I say this as somebody
who travels a lot from place to place. Tomorrow I'm
going to be in Fargo. But what I find is,
and you might know this, is that wherever you go,
(04:53):
the average person doesn't go anywhere.
Speaker 1 (04:56):
I will land.
Speaker 3 (04:57):
A guy in his fifties will pick me up and
tell me he's never been on a plane before. And
our parents of our generation, everybody that came into the
house looked the same, had the same socioeconomic kind of level.
And so people don't that's your algorithm.
Speaker 1 (05:13):
Whatever.
Speaker 3 (05:14):
My mom used to call me from a condo and
you go, you know what everybody likes.
Speaker 1 (05:17):
No, you don't know what everybody likes. That's your choice.
Now you're getting fed information whether you like it or not.
Let's go, you know we should do. Go to Frank.
Let's go to Frank. Frank.
Speaker 4 (05:25):
How are you guys?
Speaker 1 (05:27):
I'm good, Frank. I don't know if you remember me.
I was at KBC.
Speaker 4 (05:29):
I do remember you.
Speaker 5 (05:30):
How are you?
Speaker 1 (05:32):
I'm good?
Speaker 5 (05:32):
So?
Speaker 1 (05:33):
How are you?
Speaker 4 (05:33):
How are you doing? How you How have you guys
been bearing up with the LA situation?
Speaker 1 (05:37):
There always okay, I'm living in one room with my
family right now because I had to flee the Pala States.
So it's been a tough time and it's a real
tough time.
Speaker 3 (05:46):
And the fact that he is sitting here today broadcasting
and here for you is our ultimate Really, no, really,
this guy's been it was a little tough through it's
still tough.
Speaker 1 (05:56):
Good thanks Frank, thank you for that, and sorry.
Speaker 4 (05:59):
You're going through it.
Speaker 6 (05:59):
I have two boys still living out in La So
there's a whole group of people whose lives are upside
down now and kids that are just everything that they
you know, they thought everything was safe and great and.
Speaker 4 (06:10):
Now that's right.
Speaker 1 (06:12):
Well, very exactly. Thank God for TikTok But let's let's
so let's do this. Welcome Frank, mister Frank McCourt, who
I knew from the Dodgers when you were in La. So,
Frank McCourt is trying to buy TikTok Son. Why don't
you give us some context to how that, How are
you doing that, who you're doing it with? And do
they want to sell do they even want to sell?
Speaker 6 (06:34):
Well personal great to be with you guys and appreciate
your interest in the subject. And and Peter, I'm really
glad you started with La Connection because that was my
early epiphany here. I mean you you you know what
I went through out there during during my very public divorce,
(06:55):
and it was you know, very uncomfortable, humiliating, you know,
and to be battered around by social media.
Speaker 4 (07:03):
It's just it's not a good feeling. That was my
first glimpse.
Speaker 6 (07:07):
And I'm not asking you to be sorry for me,
because I'm doing great and everything worked out, you know,
worked out for me, but it was I really saw
that social media had become weaponized.
Speaker 4 (07:18):
It's it just favors my behavior.
Speaker 6 (07:22):
And I ended up selling the Dodgers for you know,
a ton of dough and worked out great, and I
thought I'd do something positive with what I had learned.
So that's when I shifted gears and in twenty nineteen
launched this project Project Liberty. Committed a half a billion
dollars to it to actually go back to my roots,
(07:43):
which are infrastructure roots. My family's been building infrastructure for
five generations. When I started Project Liberty, I had no
idea that there was going to be legislation banned TikTok,
But when it happened, I thought it was just, you know,
an incredible opportunity to buy us TikTok. Move the user base,
the one hundred and seventy million Americans over to a
(08:04):
new clean stack where they're not exploited, they're not survelled,
their data is not taken from them, they own their data,
they can get value forward.
Speaker 4 (08:17):
And if we can get.
Speaker 6 (08:18):
One hundred and seventy million Americans over, then we have
an alternative Internet that we can actually use.
Speaker 1 (08:26):
Can I ask questions?
Speaker 3 (08:27):
So my question to you is, I understand that the
reason and the fear that people have toward TikTok is
that a perceived enemy, namely China, has access to whatever
information has been put into this bite dance. You would
in purchasing if that should go through in purchasing a TikTok,
(08:52):
do I, as a TikTok user, have to re up
with whatever your platform is or it does it does
it automatically come out of byte dance into your stack
and they already have that information?
Speaker 1 (09:08):
Is that erased in some way? Like what is the safety?
Speaker 6 (09:12):
Great great question, and first answer is yes, you would.
TikTok users would go ahead and the experience would be
very similar to the experience today. They would be able
to enjoy TikTok and use TikTok and be connected just
like people are today, but in lieu of being surveilled
(09:35):
and having their data scrade and being subject to you know,
to missing disinformation because once China has your data, then
they can go ahead and feed you information. Right in
lieu of that, you would be permissioning the use of
your data with others, and you would actually be able
(09:57):
to get value for your data as well. So the
user experience very similar, the look and feel the same,
but it would empower the one hundred and seventy million
people on TikTok rather than just the platform that is
that is taking advantage of them.
Speaker 4 (10:17):
So that's that's the difference.
Speaker 3 (10:20):
As a user, I have eleven million followers on TikTok
right now. So the one hundred and seventy million Americans
who have accumulated this kind of following and this kind
of audience, as I look at them, I would have
to abandon what is now TikTok to go to your
Why would I give up those eleven million followers who
(10:41):
are on TikTok.
Speaker 4 (10:42):
Okay, So it's actually just the opposite.
Speaker 6 (10:44):
Howie, I met with twenty of the top influencers on
TikTok at the time we were announcing the bid, because
I wanted to make sure we weren't king to just
get blown out of the water by the major influences
on TikTok. Right when we announced this bid, so I
hosted at dinner out in Malibu with twenty of them
that have over one hundred million of one hundred and
(11:05):
seventy million followers or people following that month on TikTok,
and I came away with incredible insight into what they
like and what they don't like about the platform. And
what they don't like about the platform are two things.
Number One, they post a interesting video and they it
(11:29):
goes viral and they're famous and they love it. They
post another video that's very similar in their mind and
it's nothing. Nothing happens, and they have no idea why
on TikTok because it's it's a content graph, not social
graph technology, meaning it's content that gets amplified. Right, it's
(11:50):
not people are following, not Hollowie, but content that Howie
posts on TikTok. The influences on TikTok don't They don't
know who they're following. They don't have any insight int
who that community is, unlike the other social media platforms
that are social graphic based. So when we told them
(12:11):
that they would not only know who their followers are,
but they would own them. We won't own them or
byte dance wouldn't own them, they would own their relationships.
Wanted to make very very important for your listeners to understand.
It's not that China has data on one hundred and
seventy million Americans.
Speaker 4 (12:31):
That's the worst part of this.
Speaker 6 (12:33):
It's that China can feed information to one hundred and
seventy million Americans. That suits China to get those one
hundred and seventy million.
Speaker 4 (12:43):
People to believe it.
Speaker 6 (12:45):
Half of the people that use TikTok are getting all
their news from TikTok, and only one percent of that
news quote unquote is coming from reliable sources.
Speaker 4 (12:56):
It's just information that may or may not be correct
or or verified.
Speaker 6 (13:01):
So it's not like resource news that's been validated. It's
the manipulation of people that that freaked out Congers.
Speaker 1 (13:11):
So Frank here asking a couple of questions. Number one,
how do you monitor I can hear people yelling about
your house to monetize his platform? Number one? Number two
are you going to get one hundred and seventy million?
And the third part of that is does this company
White Dance put a name by way, do they want
to sell? Do you have a shot at this or
how's this moving along? And what if they say no?
Speaker 4 (13:32):
Okay?
Speaker 6 (13:33):
So if the Chinese Communist Party or the founder and
controlling shareholder by Dance, either of them or both of
them decide not to sell it, to shut it down,
it's game over.
Speaker 4 (13:43):
Okay, we don't control that outcome.
Speaker 6 (13:46):
If they agree to sell it, then it gets interesting
for us because it's not going to go just to
the highest bidder. It's going to someone that can actually
solve for the national security issues, which means a complete
disentanglement from the Chinese technology, which means you need to
(14:06):
have a tech stack to move the user base and
the data over to If you don't have that, then
you can't bid. That's where Project Liberty came in because
we had been building a tech stack for four and
a half years and it was up and running, so
otherwise we wouldn't be a.
Speaker 4 (14:23):
Bitter for this.
Speaker 6 (14:24):
As far as the model, the economic model, there will
be advertising in this new world, but rather than have
advertising to be based on scraping our data, profiling us,
pushing ads towards us, in other words, targeting us, maybe
sending us some stuff that's relevant, and maybe sending us
(14:45):
a lot of stuff that's a nuisance.
Speaker 4 (14:47):
Why not shift from.
Speaker 6 (14:49):
An attention economy to an intention economy where you want
to buy something competer Just go online and say you're
I'm a real person. I can verify that I'm a person.
I'm not a bot, or I'm not pretending I'm Howie.
You can withhold your your name as I'm interested in
buying still in the blank, show me what.
Speaker 3 (15:10):
You have as somebody who is on social media and
a big probably a bigger part of what I do
is on social media than what people know me for
on television. My question to you is, why would you
buy TikTok when for the last four years you have
built a stack that can actually handle that kind of business.
(15:33):
Why wouldn't you just launch that and offer something more.
Speaker 1 (15:38):
I'll tell you something.
Speaker 3 (15:39):
I make money on YouTube, I make money on other platforms.
The hardest place for me to make money is on TikTok,
even with a supposedly eleven million followers. Why don't you
just offer a big you know, because that's what's driven
the influencer or the creator to those platforms. Why would
(15:59):
you waste money and buy TikTok when you can just
replicate and do it yourself.
Speaker 6 (16:06):
Well, and we we are and we will, so we're
not putting all of our eggs in this basket.
Speaker 4 (16:13):
This is just a would be an incredible way to.
Speaker 6 (16:18):
Actually turn a problem into a solution. So take something
that's a threat to the country, turn it into a
new Internet that's better for people and how you know,
as well as anyone the most challenging part of of
any new tech idea on the Internet is how do
you get adoption right? How do you get how do
(16:40):
you create traction? And this money instant traction, that's it.
Speaker 1 (16:45):
That's not money.
Speaker 4 (16:47):
That's the benefit to us.
Speaker 6 (16:48):
We're building this alternative Internet with or without TikTok.
Speaker 3 (16:52):
But if you took the money that you were kind
of allocating to buy the brand as it were, if
you took that money and play and paid it to
the creators, I think that people are following. That's why
they're called influencers. If you own the influencers, if you
own those top twenty people that you talk to in Malibu,
(17:12):
and you paid them enough, people are going to follow
as you said, they follow the content. So if you
could buy the content, then you could get it without
actually buying then and you could relegate TikTok to you
know almost nothing without buying it.
Speaker 4 (17:29):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (17:40):
If you could buy the content, then you could get
it without actually buying then. Yeah, and you could relegate
TikTok to you know, almost nothing without buying it.
Speaker 1 (17:53):
Yeah.
Speaker 6 (17:53):
And that's why we call it the people's bit because
our whole point of view here is I want to
green Bay packer this thing, just like the fans on
the packers. I want the influencers to own a big
chunk of this business. We believe our premises the current
Internet is fundamentally broken. It's doing more damage than it's
doing good. It's doing good things, but it's doing a
(18:15):
lot of bad things.
Speaker 4 (18:16):
And and and.
Speaker 6 (18:18):
Our premise is that the reason why it's creating the
harms and doing the damage that it's doing is because
it was never designed to do what it was doing.
When the inventors of the Internet, when Tim Berners lead,
the inventor of the World Wide Web, set it up,
it was not imagine that it was going to connect
billions of people without any rules of the road whatsoever,
(18:41):
and so it's amplifying bad stuff. Look at look at
the our information ecosystem. It's hard to tell facts from fiction.
Speaker 3 (18:49):
But everybody not only but not only digitally, like even
regular mainstream media is tough to believe.
Speaker 6 (18:56):
I and can guess what mainstream media did when the
Internet became the predominant means of communication. What everybody everybody
sat around in those conventional media boardrooms when they were
deciding what was going to be the headline of the
day or what was going to go on the the
you know, the traditional newscast, it was what's trending. And
(19:20):
what was missed in this whole equation is what trends
online is not the most researched news, the most important story,
even not even a factually accurate story. It's what gets
the most followers. And we've learned that what gets the
most followers is the most extreme and that doesn't mean
it's at all accurate. So our information system has been
(19:43):
completely contaminated under a I know that money is a
great incentive for people, and if people just stop for
a second look at the value of these five or
seven companies, it's it's you based on our data. That's
that's that's what creates the value of the enterprise. And
(20:07):
it's only going to get bigger and bigger and bigger
with AI.
Speaker 4 (20:12):
People. If if people, if people own.
Speaker 6 (20:14):
And control their their data and permission it's use, then
they're going to get They're going to.
Speaker 4 (20:20):
Set the terms. Imagine an Internet Peter.
Speaker 6 (20:23):
We're rather than clicking mindlessly on the terms and conditions
of use of a few platforms giving up everything for
a free app, the new apps are clicking on your
terms and conditions.
Speaker 4 (20:34):
Of use for your data.
Speaker 6 (20:35):
But can I If it's some use case that's going
to cure cancer, you're going to say you can have
my data on an anonymous basis.
Speaker 4 (20:42):
If it's a commercial thing, you're going to say, I
want to get taped.
Speaker 3 (20:44):
But Frank, Frank all all. You know, I'm just going
to be you know, totally. I don't think the average
person that is on TikTok really cares about their data.
I don't think the average person on TikTok really cares
about what China is going to do with my bank account,
(21:05):
which China is going to want you. You did explain
to me that the bigger deal is that they'll be
able to push miscombation in my way, and maybe that'll
kind of convince me to do you know their agenda.
That being said, if you want to push people off TikTok,
wich you didn't answer.
Speaker 1 (21:24):
Was the question I asked, why don't?
Speaker 3 (21:27):
Because money does drive movement, Why don't you just offer
all this money that you your conglomerate is putting together
to the actual users. I promise you that the average person,
whether you're fifteen years old, whether you're five years old,
will go on I'd rather dance on TikTok and on
your TikTok and get big money. Whereas when I dance
(21:51):
on my TikTok, even with the eleven million viewers, people
like to accumulate numbers. They they're more fascinated with accumulating dollars.
I'd rather dance on yours, and you give me the
money and save the money that you want to give
bike dance, give it to me, and I promise you
I and everybody I know will be dancing on your platform.
Speaker 6 (22:10):
Yeah, and I'm sorry, I thought I answered that question
by saying, card a pull up the people's bid because
we want the influencers we if we're successful in buying it,
to come on over and incentivize them to come over
because they're getting paid and they're going to own a
piece of the equity. And what I intended on communicating
(22:30):
is if we're unsuccessful because byt Dance shuts it down
or because someone else buys it, not us, then we're
going to continue to chug along doing what we're doing
and incentivize people to.
Speaker 4 (22:42):
Move to this new world.
Speaker 6 (22:44):
And and part of that incentive will be influencers and
creators and so forth getting paid. And by the way,
it will also be regular Joe sixpack getting paid for
his data. Everybody will get paid for their data, and
those that have data that's more valuable like yours, will
(23:06):
get paid eleven million times more. So it's not that,
but everybody is in this party because everybody is producing
data all day long that is driving that is driving
the value of these companies. And so by all means,
we're gonna we're going to carry on here with or
(23:26):
without a successful bid for daytime.
Speaker 1 (23:28):
Okay. And by the way, is mister beasts.
Speaker 4 (23:30):
Part of this, Mister Beast, is that Jimmy's part of
every bid.
Speaker 1 (23:36):
He's very friendly with Jimmy. I'm the only one who's
not friendly with Himming. So he's part of every bid
and others. I know, you have the guy who is
involved in the beginning of the Internet, is part of
your consortium, correct.
Speaker 6 (23:47):
All the people that build these We have two parts
of Project Liberty. One part is a commercial part, because
this has to be a vibrant commercial system to ever
happen and be real with lots of people using at
building and making money. And then there's a not for
profit piece, which is where a lot of the academics
and the universities and the people they just want to
(24:08):
fix this mess sit. We're suggesting there needs to be
another simple, poorlier protocol.
Speaker 4 (24:15):
Nobody owns it. Everybody owns it.
Speaker 6 (24:17):
It's open source that connects us for the first time.
We should be a person on the Internet. After fifty
years of Internet technology, not a device. You and I
are still and I I have an ID address, We're
still a device on the Internet. We're not a person,
and that's fundamentally part of the problem.
Speaker 1 (24:34):
Can I be part of the consortium? And by the way,
I was just going to say, I was going to
say goodbye to you. Thank you, Frank, But do know
I know how we well enough. I know thirty plus
years he's raring to be part of this order. I
want to be.
Speaker 3 (24:47):
I actually think what you're doing. And I hadn't spoken
to anybody. I spoke to Kevin a little bit. Kevin
has been here in the office and I talked to him.
And I have my own issues that I would like
to because I do believe that aside from whatever the
dangers that you foresee, the personal dangers that the Internet
is kind of putting upon us with mental health, it's
(25:11):
and I would imagine on your platform there will be
guardrails in as far as what that content is. It's
not only misinformation, even if it's real information. People are
getting hurt by it. And there needs to be a
much more responsible way to broadcast any of this and
be transparent.
Speaker 6 (25:30):
So I would love to be a small tell yourself
in this is the people fit we want it. The
more I want to help create a new Internet that
we all can benefit from.
Speaker 3 (25:42):
So are you going to replicate Instagram and YouTube and
all these other platforms?
Speaker 1 (25:47):
Is that what your goal is?
Speaker 4 (25:49):
It's it's it. They will all be replicated. I'm not
going to replicate the more.
Speaker 6 (25:54):
There'll be millions of people building on this new infrastructure
and it will be far far better. You know what
I want your listeners to to think about, is we
hear dabted that you. I heard you say. People don't
care about their privacy. People don't care about this, We
don't think about it. I want everybody to understand, your
data is you. It's your personhood. It's literally you in
(26:20):
the digital age. Why in the world would we want
to let someone else own us. It's ridiculous. It's time
to take back what's ours, build a better version of
the Internet.
Speaker 4 (26:34):
We now know what this thing is capable of. Let's
just fix it.
Speaker 1 (26:40):
Frank, I want to say thanks for coming on. One
critique of you though. You got to start thinking big
and then you got to start opening up outside of them. Really,
thank you for coming on and explaining that it's it's
in the You're welcome.
Speaker 4 (26:53):
Let's fix it and enjoy it. Keep our kids safe.
Speaker 1 (26:57):
Thank you, buddy. Thanks for coming on, Frank. Important, we're
talking to a hero. Look. I hope I hope it
worked out. I hope it works out the way that
it was explained that you can do it. And uh
thanks for coming up. Oh look who's here? Look who's here?
(27:25):
So we can see Uh, you know we should have
place uside on the internet. Look at the friggin' bell.
That's what we need.
Speaker 3 (27:31):
I'm a stunt double on this episode of Really, Really
you did I?
Speaker 1 (27:35):
Did?
Speaker 7 (27:35):
I go to Chicago hope and budget? And did I?
What other thing were you in? Do I go to
deal or no deal? And go I have a better deal?
Do I what what?
Speaker 1 (27:46):
Rob Court and.
Speaker 5 (27:47):
Frank McCourt shows up and now all of a sudden,
save the.
Speaker 3 (27:50):
World, buddy, And I mean that really no, really, he's
gonna save the world and you missed it?
Speaker 1 (27:56):
Where were you?
Speaker 5 (27:56):
And I still benefit from this your show?
Speaker 1 (27:59):
Did you have a doctor? Was that where you were
a doctor's?
Speaker 5 (28:01):
Look at me?
Speaker 7 (28:02):
I got I don't know if you can say I
got a bandage?
Speaker 1 (28:04):
Here?
Speaker 5 (28:04):
I got a bandage.
Speaker 1 (28:05):
She happened to you? Did you fall? It? Was it
an elective?
Speaker 6 (28:07):
No?
Speaker 5 (28:08):
I didn't fall. You move the date of our tape?
Speaker 1 (28:11):
I didn't. I don't move any have no power in that.
Speaker 5 (28:13):
I waited a month to get this doctor appointment.
Speaker 7 (28:15):
I live in pain, Peter, not psychic pain like you,
real physical pain.
Speaker 1 (28:22):
And It's not often you see a Jew complaining.
Speaker 7 (28:28):
I went to I had to go to Cedars to
my hand doctor.
Speaker 5 (28:32):
I have ten denyed this. This I have is Frank.
Speaker 7 (28:35):
Can Frank McCourt pay for my medical conditions?
Speaker 1 (28:39):
You know what? Let's say, Frank be saving the world.
But you know what, daff Frank up again, Jason's.
Speaker 3 (28:46):
I'll fill you in on what's happened so far. In
the meantime, come take your seat.
Speaker 1 (28:50):
By the way, here's what you here's a big part
of what you missed. I'm part of. You couldn't been
a partner. There's gonna be breakthrough of a brand new Internet.
And I'm sitting next to the guy I'm in the
Consortium of Internet. He's right there.
Speaker 3 (29:04):
If you want such a Fetch, which is that the
name of the site production name?
Speaker 1 (29:11):
We need a new name for the Internet. Do you
have a name for that new Frank?
Speaker 5 (29:16):
What was wrong with what you said? I thought Fetch
was very good.
Speaker 8 (29:20):
I'm dancing on him Fetch today. Did you catch my
I didn't renegate on Fetch. I catched seven or eight
times today, knocked out party. Frank, by the way, he's
not Frank.
Speaker 1 (29:34):
Here we go buddy. Look, come in lady, gentlemen. Frank McCourt.
Speaker 7 (29:38):
Hi, Frank, let's start from the beginning. You know what,
why what do you do for a living? I'm not
familiar with you.
Speaker 1 (29:46):
It's gonna be one at this one and every one
of those. I'll explain to you what happened, why you
were going at the doc.
Speaker 7 (29:51):
Yeah, if you could. I don't want to take too
much time, Can I say? Can I make an observation?
And I don't mean to be this guy, but for
a man who does a well as Frank mcca, I'm
not that impressed with the room.
Speaker 1 (30:02):
That he's in. You don't realize that out that window
was seven thousand acres. Well, remember the.
Speaker 7 (30:09):
Guy that we talked to that also knew the Internet,
the early guy, and he had like he had a room.
Speaker 1 (30:13):
We thought, of course he was gymrasium. He was. It
was so big a silicon volley.
Speaker 7 (30:18):
I'll take you to lunch because I feel terrible that
I missed our interview.
Speaker 1 (30:23):
It's on me. I wouldn't even put you out. I
hold you up.
Speaker 4 (30:28):
I'm gonna hold you to that.
Speaker 6 (30:28):
I'm gonna hold Mandel to him joining the big People's
bit for TikTok.
Speaker 1 (30:32):
I love it.
Speaker 7 (30:35):
I ask a question you can how did it go?
Did you enjoy how he's company?
Speaker 1 (30:42):
How is it? You know what? How he was really
more than me? Yeah, because I was interested he was
buying TikTok now he's eleven million followers, How he was
investing with him, how he was really interested in in
the influencer part of this, and how Frank could if
he doesn't buy TikTok maybe still launch his initiative. What
(31:02):
she's going to do. Yeah, I can't wait to hear
this episode.
Speaker 7 (31:06):
This is gonna be my favorite episode because I won't
anything that happened.
Speaker 1 (31:10):
No, you will, you wire, Oh, because it's going to
be new to you. It's all going to be new
to me. You'll hear it.
Speaker 7 (31:15):
It's as my mother says, Richard poor, you can do
anything with money.
Speaker 1 (31:21):
No, it's good to see you. It was nice. And
how he was here. We had we had him starting.
Speaker 7 (31:26):
By the way, seriously, thanks you having Billy, and that
was really lovely. I got I got button traffic. And
how he's now going to be poor. God knows you
couldn't do this on your own. So I'm so glad
how he was here oh did I go Google?
Speaker 1 (31:41):
All right?
Speaker 7 (31:42):
David, by the way, last episode he laughed at that.
Speaker 1 (31:46):
Okay, goodbye day. So David, what what do you see?
Speaker 7 (31:49):
What do you hear that that was lacking? We didn't
ask for a lot that was lacking. I'm sure when
I'm not here, there's a big lie.
Speaker 1 (31:58):
It didn't have enough hair right with Yeah, I'm glad.
Speaker 4 (32:04):
Laurie has told me that we have to wrap it
up anyway without me.
Speaker 1 (32:07):
You guys were so on the money, it's amazing. Well
I have no money. Those two credit the money. No,
we're the money and now how it's an interesting it's
an interesting topic. It's going to be interesting to really
and to see what happens with white dance and China. Hey,
look at you, and you're just in time to say
goodby Dia. Next time on Really No, Now Really.
Speaker 2 (32:29):
As another episode of Really No Really comes to a close,
I know you're wondering how much money do social media
apps make and where's that money coming from? Well, I'll
add it all up for you in a moment, but
first let's thank our guest, Frank McCourt. You can follow
Frank on his company website McCourt dot com. And you
can follow the progress of his Project to Liberty and
the attempt to purchase tik dot on the websites projectiliberty
(32:51):
dot io or the People's Bid dot com. You can
also follow on Instagram and x where it is at
pro underscore Jet to Liberty. Find all pertinent links in
our show notes, our little show hangs out on Instagram,
TikTok YouTube, and threads at really No Really podcasts. And
of course you can share your thoughts and feedback with
(33:12):
us online.
Speaker 5 (33:12):
At reallynoreally dot com.
Speaker 2 (33:14):
If you have a really some amazing factor story that
boggles your mind, share it with us and if we
use it, we will send you a little gift. Nothing
life changing, obviously, but it's the thought that counts. Check
out our full episodes on YouTube, hit that subscribe button
and take that bell so you're updated when we release
new videos and episodes, which we do each Tuesday. So
(33:35):
listen and follow us on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts
or wherever you get your podcasts. And now the answer
to the question how much money do social media apps
make and where's that money coming from? Well, in lieu
of subscriptions or membership bees social media apps like Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat,
TikTok x, and YouTube make their money from advertising, commercials
(33:56):
and banner ads galore. The total take for these apps
is nearly impossible to uncover, but in twenty twenty three,
nearly eleven billion dollars of that revenue came from US
based users younger than eighteen years old.
Speaker 1 (34:09):
It's right.
Speaker 2 (34:09):
The vast majority of social media advertising is focused on children,
and of that eleven million, eight point six billion came
from users thirteen to seventeen, while two point one came
from users under the age of twelve. YouTube, Instagram, and
Facebook were the favorites of the twelve and under group,
while Instagram also led on users thirteen to seventeen, followed
by TikTok and YouTube. In December of twenty twenty three,
(34:31):
a Harvard research team wrote, as concerns about youth mental
health grows, more and more policymakers are trying to introduce
legislation to curtail social media platform practices that may drive depression, anxiety,
and disordered eating in young people. Although social media platforms clean,
they can self regulate their practices to reduce the harms
to young people, they have yet to do so.
Speaker 1 (34:53):
And our study suggests.
Speaker 2 (34:54):
They have overwhelming financial incentives to continue to delay taking
meaningful steps to prit children. And with that, folks, it's
good to know that the madness that is the Internet
is specifically designed to engage people under the age of twelve.
So hold that thought next time you're doom scrolling. And
here's to Frank mccourton. Internet two point zero really, no,
(35:15):
really is production of iHeartRadio and Blase Entertainment.
Hosts And Creators
Peter Tilden
Jason Alexander
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