Users Begin Uninstalling TikTok Following US Takeover

Skylight, a short-form video app built on open-source technology, is experiencing rapid user growth following recent concerns about TikTok US’s ownership changes. The startup has now surpassed 380,000 users, driven by increased activity over the weekend.

Launched last year, Skylight provides a vertical video experience similar to TikTok and is backed by investors including Mark Cuban. The app is built on the AT Protocol, the same open technology behind Bluesky, which has more than 42 million users. This allows Skylight to stream videos from Bluesky as well as host content uploaded directly to its platform.

Skylight was co-founded by CEO Tori White and CTO Reed Harmeyer. The app features a built-in video editor, user profiles, likes, comments, sharing capabilities, and community-curated feeds. It currently hosts over 150,000 user-uploaded videos.

Over a recent weekend, Skylight reported a surge in engagement, with 1.4 million videos played in a single day, representing a threefold increase within 24 hours. Sign-ups rose by more than 150%, returning users increased by over 50%, average videos played rose by more than 40%, and posts created more than doubled. The company attributes this growth to technical issues and user uncertainty surrounding TikTok’s ownership transition.

TikTok announced the formation of TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC on January 22 to comply with an executive order requiring the sale of its US operations to American investors. Under the arrangement, ByteDance, TikTok’s Chinese parent company, retains less than 20% ownership of the new entity. The move was driven by US-China tensions and concerns that TikTok could pose national security risks through data collection and algorithmic influence.

User concerns escalated following TikTok’s updated privacy policy, which allows GPS location tracking and includes language referencing immigration status. While the updates comply with state privacy laws, they triggered social media calls for users to delete the app. In response, some users have migrated to alternatives like Skylight, contributing to its rapid growth in early 2026.