Our Brave New World

Topic I: Meta Incorporated

The year is 2028, and the planet stands on the precipice of a technological epoch unlike any before. In an age where technology shapes economies, relationships, national security, and culture itself, Meta Incorporated—the multinational technology company operating Facebook, Meta AI, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Threads—sits at the center of the global communication and commerce ecosystem, making it one of the most influential companies on Earth. 

But with great power comes great responsibility.

Meta Inc. faces conflict from all angles. Parents cry for answers to deadly trends and the social-media fueled youth mental health crisis. Lawmakers debate whether Meta is humanity’s greatest innovation, or its most dangerous experiment. Regulators demand scrutiny, restriction, and compliance. Competitors like ByteDance race to out-perform, out-viral, and outshine—pushing the limits of artificial intelligence and superalgorithms to dominate the industry. All while investors expect to continue to see more billions per quarter. Scandals erupt across reels, retailers fight for ad space, and someone somewhere is livestreaming themself burn their house down with fireworks. 

In this committee, you will work in the place of stakeholders in the corporation, including company executives, government leaders, influencers, citizens, and financiers, all acting relentlessly to steer the company in the direction they stand for. Humanity is shifting, and technology is accelerating—fast. In the midst of an election year, everything is on the line, and anything is possible. Meta only has two options: to master the currents of change… or let them pull it under.

Topic II: ByteDance

By 2030 ByteDance has grown from a social-media heavyweight into a diversified global entertainment and commerce company, with TikTok and its related platforms continuing to anchor massive advertising and shopping revenues. Its influence on music, gaming, and international e-commerce has broadened its revenue base and reduced dependence on any single market. Despite ongoing regulatory scrutiny in several countries, the company maintains strong financial performance, high user engagement, and steady double-digit revenue growth. Overall, ByteDance enters 2030 as one of the world’s most profitable digital media firms with a robust, if geopolitically cautious, outlook.

ByteDance understands the necessity to transition into the future. It would like to create a robust AI product, combining its retention maximizing algorithm with existing generative AI technology. The next step for ByteDance, it understands, is to take over the AI entertainment industry, and the AI industry as a whole if possible. As a representation of Chinese strength, the Chinese Communist Party would also like to see ByteDance grow in global technological influence, and is willing to invest in and subsidize the company if necessary. 

One of ByteDance’s largest competitors is Meta, and it must create a strategy that allows it to surpass competitors like Meta in technological and AI influence. In some ways, this battle for power serves as a proxy for the ongoing power struggle between the United States and China on the global stage. In turn, it is in the best interest of the company, and of China, for ByteDance to outdo Meta on the global stage.