'Please don't let it disappear': Indonesian live streamers worry US-China Tiktok deal will impact livelihoods

IN a rented house on the outskirts of Jakarta, Tantri Wahyuni adjusts her headphones and settles into her gaming chair for another Tiktok live stream session on Wednesday (September 17). For the 33-year-old mother of three, this daily routine has become her lifeline—and now she fears it may disappear.

AI Brief

Indonesian creators like Wahyuni depend on TikTok livestreams for income and fear losing their livelihoods.
A US-China deal allows TikTok to continue operating in the US, easing global concerns amid trade tensions.
Entrepreneurs see new opportunities to reach US audiences, boosting optimism for cross-border digital commerce.

Wahyuni is among thousands of Indonesian content creators who have built their livelihoods on TikTok's live streaming features. Running three shifts a day, she greets loyal followers, plays music, and dances for virtual gifts that convert into real money. But the ongoing uncertainty over TikTok's future has left her anxious about her family's financial future.

"Through TikTok, I've been able to afford a gaming chair, buy a smartphone, and support my three children. I really, really need TikTok—please don't let it disappear", said Wahyuni.

President Donald Trump on Tuesday (September 16) announced an agreement between the U.S. and China to keep TikTok operating in the United States, a breakthrough in months-long talks between the two biggest economies as they seek to defuse a wide-ranging trade war that has unnerved global markets.

The deal was similar to one discussed earlier this year, Reuters reported, and requires TikTok's American assets to be transferred to U.S. owners from China's ByteDance, potentially resolving a saga that has lingered for nearly a year.

While individual streamers like Wahyuni worry about losing their primary income source, some business owners see more opportunities on the platform with the deal. Fahmi Ridho, also 33, runs a Muslim women's clothing business that uses TikTok as a promotional tool and believes that the potential deal can help him potentially reach Muslim consumers in the U.S.

"There are Muslims in America too... They will see my content on TikTok and that could be a new awareness for them. There could be sales conversions there, even if the process is long", said Ridho, who had to halt his livestreaming capabilities in August due to manpower issues but is planning to source for on-screen talents after he upgrades his studio.

A deal on the popular social media app, which counts 170 million U.S. users, stands as a breakthrough in months-long talks between the world's No. 1 and No. 2 economies that have sought to defuse a wide-ranging trade war that has unnerved global markets.