Gen Z is rebelling against TikTok USA by installing another app, founded by an Oracle graduate

Gen Z creators in the US are staging a quiet revolt against TikTok’s new American owners, and they’re protesting one download at a time: by installing an up-and-coming alternative app created by a previous user oracle employee.

In January, TikTok’s US operations were formally separated from its global business and placed under a new joint venture in which Oracle holds a significant stake, with the enterprise software giant now responsible for US user data and a US-run version of TikTok’s recommendation algorithm. The shift culminated years of political pressure and achieved what supporters described as a national security victory, but on the ground, many young users saw something else: the beloved app transformed into a tool of institutional and political power.

On TikTok itself, creators are posting angry explanations about the ownership switch, claiming future censorship of pro-Palestinian speech, and warning followers not to “feed your data to the Oracle.” This outrage has created the perfect runway for a competing platform whose origin story directly intersects with Oracle’s, while promising to break away from everything Generation Z associates with it. At the same time, it also noted influential technology journalist Casey NewtonTikTok’s algorithm appears to have failed immediately after delivery, leaving its largely Gen Z fan base frantically searching for an alternative to the addictive feed.

In late January, as TikTok changed hands in the US, the app suffered a widely discussed algorithm meltdown that flooded its For You pages with what users derided as “cliff.” This glitch occurred at a time when Gen Z was already questioning how recommender systems distort reality, serve up content irrelevant to their life stage, and turn every feed into an endless stream of lowest common denominator spread. the r/tiktok recap On Reddit an upvoted post appeared that simply said, “RIP TikTok, 2016-2026“.

When your TikTok device crashes in public

UpScrolled was quietly launched in 2025, but launched in January, just as TikTok was taking off in the US, and frustration with the algorithm was growing. The platform swelled from about 150,000 users to more than 1 million in a matter of days, and has now surpassed 2.5 million users, driven largely by people seeking to escape TikTok’s “broken” feed, Hegazy told TechCrunch.

From Oracle data pipes to Oracle alum replacement

The irony fueling the rebellion is sharp: TikTok’s US operation now runs on and oversees Oracle’s infrastructure, while a former Oracle engineer is behind the app that many users are downloading in protest. Posts on X TikTok illustrates this directly, portraying Hegazy as the kind of insider-turned-dissident who once contributed to big tech ecosystems and is now trying to build on their flaws after watching algorithms distort reality and mute certain voices.

For Gen Z, this backstory is important because it links their distrust of TikTok’s new hosts—Oracle, American investors, and the political class—into a personal narrative: someone who knows the guts of the old machine argues that it’s structurally broken and offers a different model.

Fighting censorship in the age of “broken algorithms.”

One of the biggest beneficiaries so far is UpScrolled, a social network that mixes elements of… Instagram And X with the promise of a more open approach to talk and access. At Web Summit Qatar, Founder Issam Hegazy UpScrolled’s user count rose from about 150,000 users in early January to more than 1 million within days, and as of this week, it has now surpassed 1,000,000 users, UpScrolled said. 2.5 million users worldwide.

UpScrolled gained popularity specifically with the closing of TikTok’s ownership deal in the US, with many users explicitly framing their subscriptions as a protest against what they see as a localized, personalized version of TikTok. In group chats and Discords, screenshots of the home screens show TikTok pushed to a side folder while UpScrolled moves to the dock.

UpScrolled promises no bans, a more transparent approach to moderation, with community rules against violence and hate but without the arcane, life-script-limiting personalization that many Gen Z users now blame for “rotting their brains.” It’s not quite analog — it’s still a social app — but it fits into the broader drive by young people to regain interest, whether through “dumb phones,” print magazines, or slower, less gamified online spaces.

From Oracle data pipes to Oracle alum replacement

The irony fueling the rebellion is sharp: TikTok’s US operation now runs on and oversees Oracle’s infrastructure, while a former Oracle engineer is behind the app that many users are downloading in protest. Posts on

For Gen Z, this backstory is important because it links their distrust of TikTok’s new hosts—Oracle, American investors, and the political class—into a personal narrative: someone who knows the guts of the old machine argues that it’s structurally broken and offers a different model.

Oracle and UpScrolled did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

For this story,luckJournalists have used generative AI as a research tool. An editor verified the accuracy of the information before publication.

This story originally appeared on Fortune.com