People Suppose This Random Canadian Man Is the CEO of RedNote

At the very least 700,000 TikTok customers within the U.S. have jumped ship to a Chinese language-owned app known as Xiaohongshu, or RedNote in English, in response to the Guardian, because the U.S. authorities stands able to ban TikTok beginning Sunday. However for those who’re seeing movies a few CEO of RedNote who tells you find out how to use the platform, don’t be fooled. Some man went viral this week for his welcome video on RedNote however folks appeared to suppose he’s the top of the corporate. The video was even featured on native TV information in New York. Nevertheless it’s just a few random RedNote consumer from Canada.

The video, posted earlier this week, incorporates a man sitting at a desk who says he wished to make a fast video about Xiaohongshu “introducing you guys to this platform.”

“So tip primary, we primarily use this platform for looking for strategies comparable to for eating places, comparable to for procuring malls, even for like make-up suggestions,” the person says.

To be clear, he by no means claims to be the CEO of RedNote within the video and it’s exhausting to see why folks assumed that. The video goes on to clarify that most individuals on RedNote communicate Chinese language, however it is best to be happy to talk English for those who like.

“I need to say, by no means cease sharing your voice as a result of a platform comparable to Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok, YouTube, Xiaohongshu ought to by no means be banned,” the person says. “Like folks sharing their precise voice there like about wildfire in L.A., about Gaza, and lots different issues, proper?”

The person continued by emphasizing that it’s necessary to maintain making content material on social media platforms.

“These are actual folks’s voice. What issues extra is that we by no means cease making content material. So yeah, welcome to Xiaohongshu. Let me know what your ideas, let me know what are thinking about. I communicate each Chinese language and English so like be happy to ask me any questions.”

The video is nice and maybe it was so simple that it gave an air of authority, like one thing a tech CEO may submit, however he’s not the CEO. RedNote was really co-founded in Shanghai in 2013 by Miranda Qu, the platform’s present president, and Charlwin Mao, the present CEO, in response to Reuters.

Native TV information station Fox5 in New York ran a section that ended with a declare that RedNote’s CEO had despatched out a welcome video. Nevertheless it was clear from the best way it was described that the information outlet had been fooled.

“Now, People on RedNote have jokingly been referring to themselves as TikTok refugees,” reporter Jennifer William stated in a broadcast on Monday. “The CEO of RedNote even made a video welcoming new customers who communicate English to the app. And he additionally inspired them to by no means cease sharing their voice.”

“The voice and all that information,” the anchor responded with fun.

Who is that this man everyone seems to be mistaking for the CEO? His title is Jerry and he shares a RedNote account together with his accomplice Dani, in response to Business Insider. Jerry really lives in Vancouver, Canada and by all indications has no actual thought why everybody thought he was the CEO of RedNote. He even posted a video on a brand new account created for TikTok, FakeCEORealGF in an effort to make it clear to different those who he doesn’t management RedNote.

“I’m simply one other regular man in Vancouver,” Jerry stated. “I didn’t anticipate this submit to go viral like this. And thanks for all of the feedback, however I need to make clear that I’m not the CEO of RedNote. However no matter I stated in that welcoming video stays true. I actually hope you guys can get pleasure from this platform.”

Jerry says within the video that he grew up in Shanghai and got here to Canada a few decade in the past, whereas Dani says she’s Chinese language and grew up in California earlier than shifting to Canada.

The U.S. ban on TikTok is scheduled for Jan. 19, the day earlier than Donald Trump is inaugurated, however the U.S. Supreme Court docket is anticipated to weigh in earlier than that really occurs. Most court docket watchers imagine that primarily based on the oral arguments made last week, SCOTUS will rule in opposition to TikTok and permit the ban to come back into impact. However no one is aware of for sure till we get a ruling. And we don’t know precisely when that may come. It may very well be tomorrow or it may very well be over the weekend proper on the final minute, for all we all know.

Within the meantime, lots of of 1000’s of People are giving RedNote a shot as one large fuck-you to the U.S. authorities. TikTok customers actually don’t like the thought of being informed they’ll’t use an app they love and migrating to apps owned by folks like Mark Zuckerberg is extraordinarily unpalatable for many who see the Meta CEO as an ally of Trump.

However U.S. politicians are clearly uneasy in regards to the pivot to RedNote. Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, a Democrat, expressed his frustration with the surge in RedNote sign-ups in a submit on Bluesky.

“I’m involved that People are flocking to quite a few adversary-owned social media platforms. We nonetheless want a complete and risk-based method to assessing and mitigating the dangers of foreign-owned apps,” Warner wrote Tuesday.

However the American ruling class goes to wish to get used to People not simply rolling over when their favourite toys get taken away. As a result of they’ll declare that China threatens the “lifestyle” America holds expensive all day lengthy. However that lifestyle is trying more and more determined and fraught, between the price of dwelling and the actual fact a convicted felony is about to develop into essentially the most highly effective particular person within the nation. Once more. Essentially the most highly effective particular person within the nation once more.