Subj : TikTok signs deal 📱, GPT-5.2-Codex 🤖, 2025 tech salaries 💰 To : All From : TLDR Date : Fri Dec 19 2025 11:22 am --gUYfdWHk Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable TikTok's US operations will soon be housed in a new joint venture named T= ikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC. The company has signed agreements with Or= acle=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0= =E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2= =A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C= =C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80= =8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0= =E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80= =8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0= =E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2= =A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C= =C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80= =8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0= =E2=80=8C=C2=A0 Sign Up [1] |Advertise [2]|View Online [3]=20 = =09=09TLDR=20 =09=09TOGETHER WITH [Semrush] [4] TLDR 2025-12-19 = IF YOU'RE SELLING ONLINE, LLM VISIBILITY IS NO LONGER OPTIONAL (SPONS= OR) [4]=20 Like it or not, ChatGPT and Perplexity are part of your cust= omers' buying journey. Does SEO still matter? Sure. Is it the entire pict= ure? No. Semrush One [4] tracks brand mentions across AI search plat= forms (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Mode) alongside traditional SEO. Yo= u get one dashboard for everywhere customers can (or can't) find you [4= ], tracking 213M+ prompt and 27.6B+ keywords. SPECIAL OFFER FOR TLDR >= > 30% off through Dec 31 [4] (Discount is for all Semrush One plans. M= ust be a new customer.) =F0=9F=93=B1=20 BIG TECH & STARTUPS T= IKTOK SIGNS AGREEMENT TO CREATE NEW US JOINT VENTURE, MEMO SAYS (3 MINUTE= READ) [5]=20 TikTok's US operations will soon be housed in a new joint= venture named TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC. The company has signed agre= ements with Oracle, Silver Lake, and Abu Dhabi-based MGX. The deal's clos= ing date is on January 22. Oracle will serve as the 'trusted security p= artner' in charge of auditing and validating that TikTok complies with ag= reed-upon national security terms.=20 WARNER DEMANDS LARRY ELLISON'S PE= RSONAL GUARANTEE IN PARAMOUNT BID (6 MINUTE READ) [6]=20 Warner has u= rged shareholders to reject Paramount's hostile takeover bid due to conce= rns about the financing. Paramount is using an Ellison family trust to ba= ckstop the deal - Warner wants Larry Ellison to give a stronger personal = guarantee that he is fully committed to the bid. Paramount isn't likely t= o raise its bid. Instead, it is engaging with shareholders and gathering = feedback on its tender about what it needs to do.=20 =F0=9F=9A=80=20 = SCIENCE & FUTURISTIC TECHNOLOGY THE INSIDE STORY OF SPACEX'S HISTO= RIC ROCKET LANDING THAT CHANGED LAUNCH FOREVER (60 MINUTE READ) [7]=20 = SpaceX launched the Orbcomm-2 mission on an upgraded version of its F= alcon 9 rocket on December 21, 2015. That night, the company landed the f= irst stage for the first time. This article tells the inside story of the= landing, starting with the disintegration of a Falcon 9 rocket in June 2= 015, the first time a Falcon 9 had been lost in flight.=20 TRUMP COMM= ITS TO MOON LANDING BY 2028, FOLLOWED BY A LUNAR OUTPOST TWO YEARS LATER = (5 MINUTE READ) [8]=20 President Donald Trump signed an executive order= outlining NASA's policy objectives for the next three years a couple of = hours after a judge formally swore Jared Isaacman as the agency's adminis= trator. The executive order states that the country must pursue a space p= olicy that will extend the reach of human discovery, secure the nation's= vital economic and security interests, unleash commercial development,= and lay the foundation for a new space age. There are no concrete plan= s to send humans to Mars in the document. There's also a lack of referenc= e to space science. An overview of the contents of the executive order is= available in the article.=20 =F0=9F=92=BB=20 PROGRAMMING, DESIGN & D= ATA SCIENCE GO FROM HYPE TO VALUE. UNLOCK GENAI ROI WITH THIS EXCLUSI= VE COURSE (SPONSOR) [9]=20 95% of AI pilots fail, yet executives are = under pressure to move quickly. This exclusive course [9] from You.com [9= ], featuring Field CTO Adam Oliner, provides a roadmap to transform your = organization into a super-intelligent workforce. You'll learn how to iden= tify where AI can cut costs and drive value, and uncover strategies to sc= ale adoption beyond pilots. Get access to the course here. [9] = INTRODUCING GPT-5.2-CODEX (9 MINUTE READ) [10]=20 GPT=E2=80=915.2-Code= x is a version of GPT=E2=80=915.2 optimized for agentic coding. It featur= es improvements in long-horizon work through context compaction, stronger= performance on large code changes, improved performance in Windows envir= onments, and significantly stronger cybersecurity capabilities. The model= is now available in all Codex surfaces for paid ChatGPT users. OpenAI is= working towards safely enabling the model for API users in the coming we= eks.=20 CLOUDFLARE'S LATEST OUTAGE PROVES DANGERS OF GLOBAL CONFIGURATI= ON CHANGES (8 MINUTE READ) [11]=20 Cloudflare's most recent outage wa= s caused by a seemingly innocent but global configuration change. The inc= ident shows why the largest systems in the world will have to implement s= afer ways to roll out configs. Implementing gradual rollouts for all conf= iguration files is a lot of work, so it doesn't make sense unless the sta= bility of systems is more important than fast iteration. Smaller companie= s and products probably won't need to implement staged configuration ro= llouts because the infrastructure work slows down product development. = =F0=9F=8E=81=20 MISCELLANEOUS LET A THOUSAND SOCIETIES BLOOM= (50 MINUTE READ) [12]=20 One of the recurring ideological themes of th= e last few decades has been the idea of creating entirely new communities= , cultures, cities, and even countries. In this world of a thousand natio= ns, people would be able to choose the communities that best fit their va= lues. These ideas inspired Vitalik Buterin to create Zuzalu, an experimen= tal pop-up city in Montenegro, in 2023. This post provides an updated p= icture of the space, detailing what Buterin has learned since 2023, and s= ketches out a world that the movement could be driving towards.=20 LEVE= LS.FYI WRAPPED (15 MINUTE READ) [13]=20 Levels.fyi started in 2017 to m= ake compensation information clear and easy to compare. Millions of profe= ssionals today rely on its shared salary data to better understand pay ac= ross roles, companies, and levels. This report details how compensation h= as evolved, the highest paying companies, high-level compensation trends,= the top paying locations, and more.=20 =E2=9A=A1=20 QUICK LINKS = DO LONG TECHNICAL POSTS WORK? (5 MINUTE READ) [14]=20 Only around 9= % of readers end up finishing long posts.=20 YOUR JOB IS TO DELIVER COD= E YOU HAVE PROVEN TO WORK (5 MINUTE READ) [15]=20 Good taste in testi= ng code is one of the skills that differentiates a senior engineer.=20 = MY LLM CODING WORKFLOW GOING INTO 2026 (28 MINUTE READ) [16]=20 Thi= s post provides tips and best practices for planning, coding, and collabo= rating with AI.=20 GOOD IF MAKE PRIOR AFTER DATA INSTEAD OF BEFORE (16 = MINUTE READ) [17] Refusing to change your prior after you see the = data often leads to tragedy.=20 THE MISSING OS (7 MINUTE READ) [18] = A Datacenter OS could transform an assembly of computers into one = computer.=20 WE LET AI RUN OUR OFFICE VENDING MACHINE. IT LOST HUNDREDS= OF DOLLARS (11 MINUTE READ) [19]=20 Anthropic designed an AI-powered= vending machine to see what happens when an AI agent is given autonomy, = money, and human colleagues.=20 Love TLDR? Tell your friends and get rew= ards! Share your referral link below with friends to get free TLDR sw= ag!=20 https://refer.tldr.tech/66662a80/ [20]=20 =09=09 Track your r= eferrals here. [21]=20 Want to advertise in TLDR? =F0=9F=93=B0 If = your company is interested in reaching an audience of tech executives, de= cision-makers and engineers, you may want to ADVERTISE WITH US [22].=20 = Want to work at TLDR? =F0=9F=92=BC APPLY HERE [23], CREATE YOUR OW= N ROLE [24] or send a friend's resume to jobs@tldr.tech and get $1k if we= hire them! TLDR is one of INC.'S BEST BOOTSTRAPPED BUSINESSES [25] of 20= 25.=20 If you have any comments or feedback, just respond to this email= !=20 Thanks for reading,=20 Dan Ni [26] & Stephen Flanders [27]=20 M= anage your subscriptions [28] to our other newsletters on tech, startups,= and programming. Or if TLDR isn't for you, please unsubscribe [29].=20 = =20 Links: ------ [1] https://tldr.tech/signup?utm_source=3Dtldr= [2] https://advertise.tldr.tech/?utm_source=3Dtldr&utm_medium=3Dnewslett= er&utm_campaign=3Dadvertisetopnav [3] https://a.tldrnewsletter.com/web-ve= rsion?ep=3D1&lc=3D265280dc-d4e0-11f0-a661-1b9fa34a893d&p=3D05f21274-dcb7-11= f0-9a56-31a2faa719b4&pt=3Dcampaign&t=3D1766143372&s=3D9d7da95d072c583c3913d= 72f8d5f32b4e78bdbee38ad05bd09fbe12384ae48ca [4] https://www.semrush.com/l= p/semrush-one/ [5] https://www.cnbc.com/2025/12/18/tik-tok-us-sale-china.= html?utm_source=3Dtldrnewsletter [6] https://links.tldrnewsletter.com/E1P= 1x7 [7] https://arstechnica.com/space/2025/12/ten-years-ago-spacex-turned= -tragedy-into-triumph-with-a-historic-rocket-landing/?utm_source=3Dtldrnews= letter [8] https://arstechnica.com/space/2025/12/trump-commits-to-moon-la= nding-by-2028-followed-by-a-lunar-outpost-two-years-later/?utm_source=3Dtld= rnewsletter [9] https://about.you.com/from-hype-to-value-unlocking-roi-fr= om-genai?utm_campaign=3D29503087-TLDR%20tech%20Q4&utm_source=3Dexternal-new= sletter&utm_medium=3Demail&utm_term=3Dtldrtech_secondary_1219&utm_content= =3Dtldrtech_secondary_1219 [10] https://links.tldrnewsletter.com/AzoRbc= [11] https://blog.pragmaticengineer.com/the-pulse-cloudflares-latest-out= age/?utm_source=3Dtldrnewsletter [12] https://vitalik.eth.limo/general/20= 25/12/17/societies.html?utm_source=3Dtldrnewsletter [13] https://www.leve= ls.fyi/2025/?utm_source=3Dtldrnewsletter [14] https://lucalp.dev/do-long-= technical-posts-work/?utm_source=3Dtldrnewsletter [15] https://simonwilli= son.net/2025/Dec/18/code-proven-to-work/#atom-everything?utm_source=3Dtldrn= ewsletter [16] https://addyo.substack.com/p/my-llm-coding-workflow-going-= into?utm_source=3Dtldrnewsletter [17] https://dynomight.net/prior/?utm_so= urce=3Dtldrnewsletter [18] https://addxorrol.blogspot.com/2020/07/the-mis= sing-os.html?utm_source=3Dtldrnewsletter [19] https://links.tldrnewslette= r.com/JJd0BW [20] https://refer.tldr.tech/66662a80/ [21] https://hub.sp= arklp.co/sub_e87ba9c7d7c0/1 [22] https://advertise.tldr.tech/?utm_source= =3Dtldr&utm_medium=3Dnewsletter&utm_campaign=3Dadvertisecta [23] https://= jobs.ashbyhq.com/tldr.tech [24] https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/tldr.tech/c227b9= 17-a6a4-40ce-8950-d3e165357871 [25] https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/= urn:li:activity:7401699691039830016/ [26] https://twitter.com/tldrdan [= 27] https://twitter.com/SteveFlanders22 [28] https://tldr.tech/tech/manag= e?email=3Dtldrnewsletter%40synchro.net [29] https://a.tldrnewsletter.com/= unsubscribe?ep=3D1&l=3Dcfa2d55a-b7be-11e8-a3c9-06b79b628af2&lc=3D265280dc-d= 4e0-11f0-a661-1b9fa34a893d&p=3D05f21274-dcb7-11f0-9a56-31a2faa719b4&pt=3Dca= mpaign&pv=3D4&spa=3D1766142076&t=3D1766143372&s=3D1d994090b53e966eb5c488d0b= 4ee4ec2119b563e756b39693b2855fa6b71120d --gUYfdWHk Content-Type: text/html; charset=utf-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable TLDR
TikTok= 9;s US operations will soon be housed in a new joint venture named TikTok U= SDS Joint Venture LLC. The company has signed agreements with Oracle = =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C = =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C = =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C = =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C = =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C = =E2=80=8C  =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C=  =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C=  =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C=  =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C=  =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C=  =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C 

TLDR

<= /tbody>
Together With 3D"Semrush"

TLDR 2025-12-19

If you're selling online, L= LM visibility is no longer optional (Sponsor)

Like it or not, ChatGPT and Perplexity = are part of your customers' buying journey. Does SEO still matter? Sure. Is= it the entire picture? No.

Semrush One tracks brand mentions across AI search = platforms (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Mode) alongside traditional SEO. = You get one dashboard fo= r everywhere customers can (or can't) find you, tracking 213M+ p= rompt and 27.6B+ keywords.

Special offer for TLDR >> 30% off through Dec 31

(Discount is for all Semrush One plans. Must be a new customer.)

=F0=9F= =93=B1

Big Tech & Startups

TikTok signs agreement to c= reate new US joint venture, memo says (3 minute read)

TikTok's US operations will soon be hou= sed in a new joint venture named TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC. The company= has signed agreements with Oracle, Silver Lake, and Abu Dhabi-based MGX. T= he deal's closing date is on January 22. Oracle will serve as the 'trusted = security partner' in charge of auditing and validating that TikTok complies= with agreed-upon national security terms.
Warner Demands Larry Elliso= n's Personal Guarantee in Paramount Bid (6 minute read)

Warner has urged shareholders to reject= Paramount's hostile takeover bid due to concerns about the financing. Para= mount is using an Ellison family trust to backstop the deal - Warner wants = Larry Ellison to give a stronger personal guarantee that he is fully commit= ted to the bid. Paramount isn't likely to raise its bid. Instead, it is eng= aging with shareholders and gathering feedback on its tender about what it = needs to do.
=F0=9F= =9A=80

Science & Futuristic Technology

The inside story of SpaceX'= s historic rocket landing that changed launch forever (60 minute read)

SpaceX launched the Orbcomm-2 mission o= n an upgraded version of its Falcon 9 rocket on December 21, 2015. That nig= ht, the company landed the first stage for the first time. This article tel= ls the inside story of the landing, starting with the disintegration of a F= alcon 9 rocket in June 2015, the first time a Falcon 9 had been lost in fli= ght.
Trump commits to Moon landi= ng by 2028, followed by a lunar outpost two years later (5 minute read)

President Donald Trump signed an execut= ive order outlining NASA's policy objectives for the next three years a cou= ple of hours after a judge formally swore Jared Isaacman as the agency's ad= ministrator. The executive order states that the country must pursue a spac= e policy that will extend the reach of human discovery, secure the nation's= vital economic and security interests, unleash commercial development, and= lay the foundation for a new space age. There are no concrete plans to sen= d humans to Mars in the document. There's also a lack of reference to space= science. An overview of the contents of the executive order is available i= n the article.
=F0=9F= =92=BB

Programming, Design & Data Science

Go From Hype to Value. Unlo= ck GenAI ROI With This Exclusive Course (Sponsor)

95% of AI pilots fail, yet executives a= re under pressure to move quickly. This exclusi= ve course from You.com, f= eaturing Field CTO Adam Oliner, provides a roadmap to transform your organi= zation into a super-intelligent workforce. You'll learn how to identify whe= re AI can cut costs and drive value, and uncover strategies to scale adopti= on beyond pilots.

Get access to the course here.

Introducing GPT-5.2-Codex (= 9 minute read)

GPT=E2=80=915.2-Codex is a version of G= PT=E2=80=915.2 optimized for agentic coding. It features improvements in lo= ng-horizon work through context compaction, stronger performance on large c= ode changes, improved performance in Windows environments, and significantl= y stronger cybersecurity capabilities. The model is now available in all Co= dex surfaces for paid ChatGPT users. OpenAI is working towards safely enabl= ing the model for API users in the coming weeks.
Cloudflare's latest outage = proves dangers of global configuration changes (8 minute read)

Cloudflare's most recent outage was cau= sed by a seemingly innocent but global configuration change. The incident s= hows why the largest systems in the world will have to implement safer ways= to roll out configs. Implementing gradual rollouts for all configuration f= iles is a lot of work, so it doesn't make sense unless the stability of sys= tems is more important than fast iteration. Smaller companies and products = probably won't need to implement staged configuration rollouts because the = infrastructure work slows down product development.
=F0=9F= =8E=81

Miscellaneous

<= /div>
Let a thousand societies bl= oom (50 minute read)

One of the recurring ideological themes= of the last few decades has been the idea of creating entirely new communi= ties, cultures, cities, and even countries. In this world of a thousand nat= ions, people would be able to choose the communities that best fit their va= lues. These ideas inspired Vitalik Buterin to create Zuzalu, an experimenta= l pop-up city in Montenegro, in 2023. This post provides an updated picture= of the space, detailing what Buterin has learned since 2023, and sketches = out a world that the movement could be driving towards.
Levels.fyi Wrapped (15 minu= te read)

Levels.fyi started in 2017 to make comp= ensation information clear and easy to compare. Millions of professionals t= oday rely on its shared salary data to better understand pay across roles, = companies, and levels. This report details how compensation has evolved, th= e highest paying companies, high-level compensation trends, the top paying = locations, and more.
=E2=9A= =A1

Quick Links

Do Long Technical Posts Wor= k? (5 minute read)

Only around 9% of readers end up finish= ing long posts.
Your job is to deliver code= you have proven to work (5 minute read)

Good taste in testing code is one of th= e skills that differentiates a senior engineer.
My LLM coding workflow goin= g into 2026 (28 minute read)

This post provides tips and best practi= ces for planning, coding, and collaborating with AI.
Good if make prior after da= ta instead of before (16 minute read)

Refusing to change your prior after you= see the data often leads to tragedy.
The missing OS (7 minute re= ad)

A Datacenter OS could transform an asse= mbly of computers into one computer.
We Let AI Run Our Office Ve= nding Machine. It Lost Hundreds of Dollars (11 minute read)

Anthropic designed an AI-powered vendin= g machine to see what happens when an AI agent is given autonomy, money, an= d human colleagues.

Love TLDR? Tell your friends and get rewards!

Share your referral link below with friends to get free TLDR swag!
https://refer.tldr.tech/66662a80/
Track your referrals here.

Want to advertise in TLDR? =F0=9F=93=B0

If your company is interested in reaching an audience of tech executives, d= ecision-makers and engineers, you may want to advertise with us.

Want to work at TLDR? =F0=9F=92=BC

Apply here, create your own role or send a friend's resume to jobs@tldr.tech an= d get $1k if we hire them! TLDR is one of Inc.'s Best Bootstrapped businesses = of 2025.

If you have any comments or feedback, just respond to this email!

Thanks for reading,
Dan Ni &a= mp; Stephen = Flanders


Manage your subscriptions to our other newsletters o= n tech, startups, and programming. Or if TLDR isn't for you, please unsubscribe.
3D"" --gUYfdWHk-- .