#ShortTake: TikTok Sale Talks, OpenAI vs Meta, and IRL Makes a Comeback

ShortTake is your weekly FYP from The Shorty Awards for quick, new and thought-challenging takes on culture, creativity and TLDR. Things that need a closer look and things that need a completely different perspective.

TikTok Sale? Again??

We’ve been here before, folks. Trump teased a pending TikTok U.S. sale involving "very wealthy people," supposedly within two weeks. Is it happening? Is this real life? Is this... not a drill? Cue The Office fire alarm meme. If the sale goes through, it could rewrite the platform’s rules, revenue models, and potentially what shows up on your FYP. Until then, continue doomscrolling responsibly.

OpenAI vs. Meta: The Talent Bidding War of the Year

Meta’s reportedly throwing $100M+ offers at AI researchers. OpenAI’s Mark Chen described it as “someone broke into our house.” The result? AI startups are scrambling to hold onto talent—and creators are watching closely to see who’ll build the tools they’ll use next. At stake: the future of prompt-driven productivity and whether your next assistant says “umm” before every suggestion.

Starbucks Wants You to Loiter (Politely)

Starbucks is bringing back soft chairs, chargers, and the vibe of a 2006 writer’s room—because they want you to hang out again. It’s part of a new push to re-establish the “third place” as AI, remote work, and Slack fatigue make IRL time cool again. Next step? Reintroduce those satisfying ceramic mugs.

Livia Han & the Call for Actual Community

Livia Han has spoken to 300+ marketers across SF, NYC, and Toronto—and surprise: everyone’s craving something real. In a world overrun with AI tools and “innovative” frameworks, the ask is simple—an intimate, IRL-forward space where marketers can get vulnerable about what’s working, what’s failing, and what’s keeping them up at 3 a.m. Agentic workflows, lean teams, SEO chaos—bring it.

If this becomes a thing, you heard it here first.

Ruben Hassid’s Outreach Hack: AI Is Your SDR Now

Ruben Hassid revealed his spicy system for cold outreach—negotiating brand deals with the help of ChatGPT. Think personalized intros, helpful tone, and no more “just circling back” follow-ups. Bonus: it's scalable without sounding like spam. The question: would you trust AI with your client comms—or is that just one notification away from chaos?