What is going to occur to TikTok? A take a look at the potential consumers.

TikTok could also be again on-line, however the app’s future in the USA continues to be removed from sure. President Donald Trump’s govt order of the ban was solely a short lived reprieve for the corporate.

Whereas ByteDance was as soon as proof against the concept of promoting TikTok’s US enterprise, that appears to have modified since Trump took workplace. A ByteDance investor that hanging a deal to maintain TikTok within the US is “in everyone’s curiosity.” Officers in China have additionally advised they’re “open” to a deal, The Wall Avenue Journal.

A variety of individuals and corporations have signaled some curiosity in TikTok. Trump himself he want to see a “bidding conflict” for the app and that the US authorities ought to personal within the firm. What an eventual deal might seem like, although, is unclear. These are the affords we at the moment find out about. Trump’s govt order gave the corporate 75 days to return to an settlement.

Oracle

NPR that Oracle was working with Trump Administration officers on “a plan to save lots of TikTok that includes tapping software program firm Oracle and a bunch of out of doors traders to successfully take management of the app’s international operations.” Beneath this association, ByteDance “would retain a minority stake within the firm” however Oracle would oversee “the app’s algorithm, information assortment and software program updates.”

Headed up by Trump pal Larry Ellison, TikTok has an current partnership with Oracle. The cloud firm TikTok’s US consumer information and the corporate was of TikTok’s unique negotiations to stay operational within the US below a plan referred to as Venture Texas. (These negotiations abruptly in 2022.)

Trump additionally beforehand for Oracle and Walmart to accumulate a 20 % stake in TikTok in 2020, when the president tried to ban the app throughout his first time period. That deal by no means materialized. Now, Trump’s place on Oracle is unclear. He that Oracle was not among the many “many individuals” with whom he had mentioned a deal for TikTok. (Ellison, notably, has been on the White Home in latest days. He joined Trump and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman for the announcement of the .)

Microsoft

Microsoft is reportedly additionally excited by taking part in a job in TikTok’s future, in response to the identical NPR story, which stated Microsoft was among the many “different potential traders” concerned within the talks with Oracle. Trump seemingly confirmed this. When requested immediately if Microsoft was excited by shopping for TikTok this week, Trump “I’d say sure.”

As with Oracle, this isn’t the primary time Microsoft has tried to accumulate the social media firm. Microsoft was in talks to purchase TikTok and take over its US enterprise, however the deal . Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella later it as “the strangest factor I’ve ever kind of labored on.”

Perplexity AI (and perhaps the US authorities)

Simply earlier than TikTok briefly went offline, Perplexity AI threw its hat into the ring, providing to ByteDance that “would “create a brand new entity combining Perplexity, TikTok US and New Capital Companions.”

Since then, Perplexity has reportedly tweaked its proposal. In accordance with the , the AI firm is now floating a plan that requires the “U.S. authorities to come clean with half of that new construction as soon as it makes an preliminary public providing of no less than $300 billion.” Beneath this plan, ByteDance would maintain a minority stake within the firm and “would contribute TikTok’s U.S. enterprise with out the proprietary algorithm that fuels what customers see on the app.”

MrBeast

YouTuber MrBeast, often known as Jimmy Donaldson, joked about shopping for TikTok forward of the preliminary ban. He later that “so many billionaires” had reached out to him about making a proposal that he was going to attempt to really pull it off.

Okay positive, I’ll purchase Tik Tok so it doesn’t get banned

— MrBeast (@MrBeast) January 14, 2025

At the least one group has already his involvement, together with different “high-net-worth people” seeking to make an “all-cash supply.” That group, led by employer.com founder Jesse Tinsley additionally reportedly consists of Roblox CEO David Baszucki. In accordance with Bloomberg, collectively they’ve put collectively “considerably” greater than for a bid, although it’s not clear how severely their supply is being thought-about. Bloomberg notes that there’s additionally a risk that MrBeast might connect himself to different bids.

Venture Liberty

One other set of traders that’s proposed a bid to purchase TikTok is a bunch often called . Led by investor Frank McCourt, it consists of of Shark Tank fame. The group initially got here ahead earlier than the ban took impact. Nevertheless, it’s not clear the place they stand for the time being.

This deal adjustments by the hour. ByteDance itself is a really profitable firm. It is price about $250 billion, of which solely 8.9% is TikTok USA. So whereas we’re centered on TikTok USA, the corporate might abandon it, simply flip it off in the event that they needed.

There’s been a variety of hype from… pic.twitter.com/WRRSM224j5

— Kevin O’Leary aka Mr. Fantastic (@kevinolearytv) January 29, 2025

O’Leary beforehand that offers involving a authorities stake might not adjust to the legislation. “That fifty/50 deal, I’d like to work with Trump on, so would each different potential purchaser … However the issue with a few of these concepts is they’re inconsistent with the ruling of the Supreme Court docket,” he stated. “I’d like to do a deal, if the legislation offered for it, however I don’t have the posh of breaching the order of Congress.”

This week, he stated that the deal “adjustments by the hour,” writing on X that iIt’s clear to me now that we will should do a dance between the unique homeowners, the founders of ByteDance itself, and deciphering the legislation of what Congress and Supreme Court docket has upheld.”

What’s subsequent?

So the place does all this depart TikTok? For now, the corporate is in the identical limbo it’s been in because it was briefly . The app continues to be not obtainable in Apple or Google’s app shops and it might go down once more if the corporate is unable to achieve a deal.

For now, although, it appears each the federal government and ByteDance are rather more keen to barter than they’ve been up to now. Whereas these are all of the semi-credible plans we find out about now, the state of affairs is prone to change over the subsequent few weeks as the assorted sides try to hammer out a viable deal. We’ll maintain this publish up to date as new particulars emerge.

This text initially appeared on Engadget at

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