WeekWise LXII
#62 WW: TikTok’s Ban Drama and Ownership Debate, The Fall of Middle Management, and Colossal Biosciences’ Bold Mission.
Hey! 👋
I'm Adolfo Güell, and every week, I spend countless hours selecting curated content—whether it's posts, news, or podcasts—centered around my passions: technology, macroeconomics, innovation, and more. This newsletter is my way of sharing the top-notch content I've come across.
I hope this weekly newsletter introduces you to exciting new content and talented creators.
If you have any questions or comments, don't hesitate to contact me at adolfoguell@substack.com.
My top picks 🔝
It’s been a rollercoaster for TikTok users in the US this week. First, the app faced a full-blown nationwide ban, leaving millions of Americans unable to scroll, post, or even open the app. Then, in a surprise twist, the ban was lifted almost as quickly as it came into effect. So, what’s going on?
The drama started with a looming deadline for TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, to sell off its US operations. The government has argued that TikTok is a national security risk, calling it a tool of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and pointing out that US companies don’t get the same access to China’s market. When ByteDance missed the deadline, TikTok was pulled from app stores, and the service went dark for its 170 million U.S. users.
Cue the chaos. Users flooded other platforms, saying goodbye to their favorite app while creators scrambled to save their content. But just as TikTok fans were mourning their loss, President-elect Donald Trump swooped in with a plot twist: an executive order to give TikTok more time. His proposal? A 50-50 ownership deal, where the US government would take a direct stake in TikTok to ensure it’s "safe" for American users.
The decision isn’t an easy one. Supporters of a ban say TikTok poses legitimate security threats and that banning it is a fair response to China’s ban on U.S. companies. But critics argue it’s a slippery slope—if the U.S. bans TikTok, other countries might start banning US platforms like X or Instagram. Plus, many see the ban as a free speech issue: millions of Americans want to use TikTok, and they say the government shouldn’t get to decide what apps they can access.
For now, TikTok lives to see another day in the U.S., but its future is still up in the air. The big question? Whether this saga is the beginning of a broader fight over tech, free speech, and global influence.
Source: Trump pitches 50% US takeover of TikTok, says he will issue executive order to save it — as GOP hawks say it can’t be revived unless it’s sold [New York Post], Shaun Maguire on X & From backing a ban to being hailed as a savior: Inside Trump’s TikTok shift [AP News]
The corporate world is undergoing a dramatic shift, and middle managers are bearing the brunt of it. Over the past two years, US companies have aggressively cut an entire layer of supervisory roles in what some call a "war on middle management." Major players like Meta, Citi, UPS, and Amazon have led the charge, slashing positions and restructuring hierarchies. The numbers are stark: vacancies for middle management roles have dropped by 42% since their peak in 2022, leaving many experienced managers with nowhere to go.
How did we get here? The trend echoes a management philosophy dating back to the 1980s, when globalized markets prioritized cost-cutting above all else. Supervisory roles became an easy target, as companies sought to streamline operations and remove perceived inefficiencies. Today, firms argue that fewer layers of management increase agility and reduce bureaucracy. For instance, Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg famously criticized "managers managing managers," while Amazon’s Andy Jassy emphasized the importance of operational "efficiency" in recent restructuring efforts.
The fallout has been severe for middle managers. As hiring rebounds for junior and entry-level positions, supervisory roles remain scarce, leading to fierce competition for an ever-shrinking pool of opportunities. Data from Revelio Labs shows that middle managers now account for a disproportionate share of layoffs, and many are struggling to re-enter the workforce. For some, years of experience and leadership skills have become liabilities, as companies view them as overqualified for available roles.
This paradox is causing many to reconsider their career paths. Some have stripped titles from their résumés to appear less intimidating to employers, while others, like one former director, are applying for entry-level roles just to stay afloat. The situation has left many asking when—or if—the hiring freeze for middle management will thaw.
Interestingly, the same cost-cutting measures creating these challenges may hold the seeds of their undoing. Companies are already feeling the pressure of operating with fewer managers. Those who remain are overwhelmed, leading to burnout and declining performance. Younger employees, often deprived of mentorship, feel disconnected, while departments grow increasingly siloed without managers to bridge the gaps.
For middle managers, the hope lies in this realization: the very roles they once held are critical to long-term organizational health. As CEOs grapple with the fallout of leaner structures, the value of experienced supervisors may soon become impossible to ignore.
Source: 🇪🇸 It's a really bad time to be a middle manager [Business Insider]
Colossal Biosciences, the company on a mission to resurrect extinct animals like the woolly mammoth, Tasmanian tiger, and dodo bird, has raised $200 million in a Series C round, bringing its valuation to $10.2 billion. This funding supports their ambitious goal of restoring biodiversity by combining cutting-edge technology with conservation efforts.
To achieve this, Colossal uses a multi-step process centered on advanced gene-editing tools like CRISPR. By mapping the genomes of extinct species and comparing them with their closest living relatives—such as the Asian elephant for the mammoth—the company’s scientists edit living cells to recreate the extinct species’ genetic makeup. These edited cells are then placed into egg cells to create embryos, which will eventually be carried to term by surrogate animals or artificial wombs.
Artificial wombs, one of Colossal’s most promising innovations, could play a crucial role not only in de-extinction but also in human healthcare and fertility treatments. Alongside this, Colossal has developed a suite of technologies with applications in conservation, agriculture, and computational biology, including tools for breaking down plastics and bioinformatics platforms.
Colossal plans to monetize its breakthroughs through spinoffs, government collaborations, and biodiversity credits. Governments have shown interest in de-extinction projects for culturally significant species and conservation technologies, while biodiversity credits could create a revenue stream similar to carbon credits.
With its first species reintroductions planned for 2028, Colossal’s innovative approach combines long-term vision with immediate technological impact, making it a unique player in both biotechnology and conservation.
Source: Colossal Biosciences raises $200M at $10.2B valuation to bring back woolly mammoths [TechCrunch]
Some other reads I enjoyed…
Europe and China were on a path to surpass the US [Brian Armstrong on X]
Prime Minister sets out blueprint to turbocharge AI [UK Government]
How Countries Go Broke: Introduction & Chapter One [Ray Dalio]
🇪🇸 30% fewer analysts than a decade ago at major banks [JC on X]
Putting out fires before they spread does not seem like a serious technological challenge in a world with SpaceX, xAI and Anduril [Bill Ackman on X]
Here are the Best (and worst) distribution wedges I have seen for Pre-Seed software startups [Martin Tobias on X]
🇪🇸 Between the 21st and 63rd percentile, 42% of salaried employees in Spain receive a net salary between 1,000 and 1,500 euros per paycheck [Jon González on X]
Mark Zuckerberg on The Joe Rogan Experience