As of this date, more than 1.5 million cases of COVID-19 have been reported worldwide, with nearly 90,000 related deaths have been recorded.
With the world experiencing the COVID-19 pandemic, millions of people are urged to stay at home and work from home. The many people remain under quarantine and under shelter-in-place orders to help curb the spread of the virus. This results to a downward spiraling economy.
There is much to be done to return everything back to working order, and here, the world needs all the help it can get.
The tech world is dominated by companies from the West. In the East, there are also some powerhouse. And in China that is dominated by the likes of Baidu, Alibaba and Tencent, there is also the emerging TikTok.
As the fastest growing social media app, it too wants to help.
The Chinese-based firm, which the U.S. officials and lawmakers have accused for potential security risks, said that it is donating $250 million to the coronavirus relief effort, and offer more than $100 million in additional advertising credits.
In a blog post, Alex Zhu, President of TikTok said that:
The hefty financial relief package donations include:
- $150 million in funds for medical staffing, supplies, and hardship relief for health care workers.
- $40 million in cash to local organizations that serve groups of musicians, artists, nurses, educators, and families that have come together on the platform.
- $50 million in grants to educators, professional experts, and nonprofits who use the service to share educational information and useful course material in an accessible, distance learning format.
- $100 million in advertising credits to help small and midsize businesses get back on their feet once they can resume business.
- $25 million in ad credits for non-governmental organizations, trusted health sources, and local authorities.
In the blog post, Zhu detailed the company’s plans, and said that the pledge is in addition to donations TikTok has already announced and distributed, including $10 million to the World Health Organization and $15 million to the Center for Disease Control.
The company says it plans to provide more details on the organizations it’s supporting in “coming months.”
Further reading: Tech Companies Focus On Anything That Is Coronavirus-Related To Stop Misinformation
Since the coronavirus outbreak, TikTok that is known for its viral, short-form videos its users create, has seen a surge in popularity in countries that are placed under quarantine and people are adjusting to life indoors. TikTok saw app downloads and user spending spike in March, according to a report provided by mobile analytics firm Sensor Tower.
When the world is practically stressed out, TikTok has been breaking the ice by seeing its users do dance challenges, create funny performances and do fun activities, like doctors in doing dance breaks.
As a result, TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, is becoming one of the most valuable private tech company in the world, with a total valuation of more than $75 billion.
“The TikTok community is uplifting one another, caring for one another, and lending a hand to one another. This may be a serious time, but on TikTok it can still be joyful — and deeply inspiring,” wrote Zhu writes. “Alongside businesses, governments, NGOs, and ordinary people across the globe stepping up in this critical moment, we are committed to offering the very best that we can to help out humanity.”
TikTok’s $250 million pledge is one of the largest donations made by major tech organizations.
Previously, Facebook committed $20 million to match coronavirus relief donations, $100 million to support news outlets, and $100 million in grants to help small businesses. Amazon and Microsoft have donated $1 million each to a Seattle-area rapid response fund, while Apple has pledged $15 million to relief efforts.
Meanwhile, Google has committed into giving $800 million to support businesses and health organization.
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, the richest person in the world, donated $100 million to a nonprofit helping food banks feed families in need.
And just recently, Twitter and Square CEO Jack Dorsey, has pledged $1 billion of his own money into a new charity fund focused on COVID-19 relief, by selling his equity on one of his companies. Twitter itself has pledged $1 million to journalism nonprofits.
