The free app, which lets users share 30-second videos, has millions of users and was valued at over US$100 million earlier this year. California-based Firework has also held talks with Chinese tech giant Weibo, but the Google discussions are reportedly more advanced. (Wall Street Journal)

Talking point: Google and Weibo are looking to get a share of the booming short-video market and to curtail the dominance of China’s TikTok, which has been downloaded by over one in seven people in the world and is in the midst of a massive international expansion. Firework aims for an older audience than TikTok, which has been widely adopted by teenagers and children. Facebook and Snap have also both launched short-video features to try and capture some of the market. A potential acquisition comes as Google, which already owns the dominant online video company YouTube, is facing a number of antitrust investigations around the world. However, there’s a geopolitical dynamic here that could smooth the acquisition, at least for U.S. regulators. In September, The Guardian reported that TikTok censors videos discussing topics Beijing would prefer not to be touched on, like Tibetan independence or the religious group Falun Gong.