TikTok had a messy weekend in the United States, with users reporting widespread problems that made the app feel half-functional at best. The timing was impossible to ignore: the issues hit right after TikTok’s US ownership structure changed, and right as everyone is watching to see what “TikTok in America” looks like going forward.
What Actually Broke
Reports started rolling in early Sunday morning, and they were not limited to one feature or one type of account. The most frustrating one for creators was uploads getting stuck “under review” for hours, with videos not publishing at all. Some accounts outside the US could still see new uploads while US viewers were shown older content, which only added to the confusion.
On top of that, people reported trouble logging in, comments failing to load, random errors popping up across the app, and CapCut issues. Even the For You Page, the engine that basically is TikTok, was acting off, with feeds suddenly feeling generic instead of personalized.
TikTok USDS, the new US joint venture entity, pointed to a power outage at a US data center and said it was working with its data center partner to stabilize service.
Why People Immediately Assumed the Worst
When a platform breaks, users usually blame the servers. When a platform breaks during a politically tense weekend and right after an ownership shift, people start connecting dots fast.
This weekend, some users suspected censorship because posts around current events were not being published, and feeds were suddenly filled with more generic content. That kind of pattern is exactly what triggers alarm bells on social media. But the reports were broad enough that it looked less like a targeted clampdown and more like a genuine infrastructure problem. If logins, uploads, comments, and editing tools are all acting up at once, it’s typically a systems issue, not a surgical moderation choice.
Still, perception matters, and TikTok’s biggest challenge right now is not just technical. It’s trust.
The Bigger Context: “Deal Done” Does Not Mean “Drama Over”
This outage landed during TikTok’s first weekend after a major restructuring of its US business. The new setup was built to keep the app running in the US under a majority non-Chinese ownership structure, with a new entity meant to handle US data protections, algorithm security, and related compliance work.
That is why the Bloomberg Opinion framing hits: the saga is not really over, it’s just entering the phase where execution matters more than headlines. A deal can end one chapter, but the next chapter is proving the platform can operate reliably, transparently, and independently enough to satisfy regulators, advertisers, creators, and everyday users.
And that is where a weekend like this hurts. For creators, “my upload is stuck under review” is not a minor bug; it’s lost momentum. For advertisers, instability raises questions about spend. For regulators and critics, it becomes another reason to argue that the system is too opaque or too fragile.
What TikTok USDS Has to Get Right Next
Even if the outage was “just” a data center power issue, it functions as an early stress test. TikTok’s US operation is now under intense scrutiny, and every stumble will be treated like evidence.
Here’s what matters over the next few weeks:
Stability first. People will forgive a weekend outage faster than they will forgive a pattern of unreliability. TikTok needs boring consistency.
Clearer communication. Pointing to a power outage is a start, but users want specifics: what was impacted, what was fixed, and what protections are in place to prevent repeats.
Creator confidence. The app runs on creators. If creators start cross-posting more aggressively or shifting effort elsewhere because publishing feels unreliable, that is a real long-term risk.
Trust around moderation and feeds. Even when a glitch is purely technical, a broken For You Page and stuck uploads are exactly the kind of thing that fuels censorship rumors. TikTok will need to be proactive about explaining what happened and why.
This is the new reality for TikTok in the US: it is not only competing with other apps, but it is also competing with the public’s suspicion. A single outage will not decide the platform’s fate, but it does underline the point. The story is no longer “Will TikTok survive in America?” It’s “Can TikTok’s new US era actually hold up under pressure?”
Sources: Bloomberg
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