No. of Recommendations: 2
https://edition.cnn.com/2025/10/13/tech/dutch-gove...The Dutch government has taken control of Chinese-owned computer chipmaker Nexperia, ratcheting up tensions with Beijing as a global fight brews over technology intellectual property, especially around semiconductors.
The government said late on Sunday that it has intervened in Dutch-headquartered Nexperia, which manufactures chips for cars and consumer electronics. It cited worries about the possible transfer of technology to Nexperia’s Chinese parent company, Wingtech.
Amsterdam invoked never-before-used powers under a Dutch law known as the “Availability of Goods Act.” The decision led to a 10% fall in Wingtech’s shares in Shanghai Monday.
The Dutch government will not take ownership of Nexperia, but it will now have the power to reverse or block management decisions it considers harmful. The company’s regular production is continuing.
Nexperia is one of the world’s largest makers of simple computer chips such as diodes and transistors, though it also develops more advanced technologies such as “wide gap” semiconductors used in electrical settings and useful for electric cars, chargers and artificial intelligence data centers.
This contrasts to Tik Tok.
TikTok, owned by Chinese company ByteDance, was threatened with a nationwide ban in the US over national security concerns—especially regarding user data and influence operations. Congress passed a law requiring ByteDance to divest TikTok’s US operations or face a ban.
A $14 billion deal was brokered in late September 2025, via executive order from President Trump.
The deal created a new US-based joint venture for TikTok’s American operations, in which a consortium of American and international investors will own roughly 80%.
ByteDance will retain less than a 20% stake.
Investors include tech giants such as Oracle (who will oversee TikTok’s US user data and algorithm), Silver Lake, Michael Dell, and Rupert Murdoch, along with Abu Dhabi’s MGX fund.
Oracle Larry Ellison) will have direct oversight of the algorithm, a key point for US lawmakers worried about manipulation or surveillance by the Chinese government
Critics point out that the process involved high-level negotiations with China and influential business figures, and concerns remain about privacy, surveillance, and who ultimately controls TikTok’s recommendation engine.
Some characterize the process as political “strong-arming” or a shakedown rather than a market-driven sale, where the beneficiaries all happen to be wealthy supporters of President Trump (who bragged that it was now in the control of "Americans" - including Rupert Murdoch and Abu Dhabi).
Jeff
