TikTok returns to Apple, Google stores

TikTok has returned to the app stores of Apple and Google in the U.S., after President Donald Trump delayed the enforcement of a TikTok ban.

TikTok, which is operated by Chinese technology firm ByteDance, was removed from Apple and Google’s app stores on Jan. 18 to comply with a law that requires ByteDance to divest the app or be banned in the U.S.

The popular social media app, which has over 170 million American users, previously suspended its services in the U.S. for a day before restoring service following assurances from Trump that he would postpone banning the app. The TikTok service suspension briefly prompted thousands of users to migrate to RedNote, a Chinese social media app, while calling themselves “TikTok refugees.”

The TikTok app became available to download again in the U.S. Apple App store and Google Play store after nearly a month. On Trump’s first day in office, he signed an executive order to extend the enforcement of a ban on TikTok to April 5.

TikTok has long faced troubles in the U.S., with the U.S. government claiming that its Chinese ownership and access to the data of millions of Americans makes it a national security risk.

TikTok has denied allegations that it has shared U.S. user data at the behest of the Chinese government, and argued that the law requiring it to be divested or banned violates the First Amendment rights of its American users.

Quaker Oats recalls pancake mix

The Quaker Oats Co. has recalled 10,000 boxes of pancake mix because it contains milk not declared on the label and could pose a risk of potentially dangerous allergic reactions.

The Chicago-based company, a unit of PepsiCo, recalled 2-pound boxes of Pearl Milling Company Original Pancake & Waffle Mix sold in stores in 11 states. Consumers would have been able to buy the affected pancake mix as early as November 2024. The boxes have a UPC code of 30000 65040 and a best-by date of Sept. 13, 2025.

The mix, formerly sold as Aunt Jemima pancake mix, was sent to stores in Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nebraska, Utah and Wisconsin.

People with allergies or sensitivities to milk could develop a serious or life-threatening reaction if they consume the recalled mix.

Musk seeks $10b for his AI Company

Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence company xAI is canvassing potential investors for a roughly $10 billion funding round that would value the company at about $75 billion, according to a person with knowledge of the matter.

Existing investors including Sequoia Capital, Andreessen Horowitz and Valor Equity Partners are in talks to participate in the transaction, said the person, who asked not to be identified discussing private information. Terms of the round aren’t finalized and could still change.

The company is a competitor to OpenAI, the AI giant that Musk helped found. He recently made an unsolicited $97.4 billion offer to buy the assets of the nonprofit that controls OpenAI. XAI’s main product, a chatbot called Grok, is available through his social network X, formerly known as Twitter Inc.

From wire reports