Multinational technology company Microsoft is in talks to acquire TikTok’s US operations, President Donald Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Monday (27 Jan) night. Newsweek reported
The decision comes after Trump temporarily suspended a US-wide ban on the popular Chinese-owned video-sharing app TikTok, which was ordered by the Supreme Court over national security concerns.
Lawmakers fear that TikTok has ties to the Chinese government, which could enable foreign powers to access user data and influence American users. ByteDance, the parent company of video-sharing app TikTok, is reportedly seeking a $200 billion valuation for the app, according to Newsweek.
On Jan. 21, Trump signed an executive order extending a 90-day deadline for Chinese company ByteDance to be removed from its app, just one day after the law banning it went into effect.
Trump statement on TikTok
Before the presidential inauguration, Trump suggested that the United States should own 50 percent of TikTok, although it is unclear whether he wants partial nationalization or ownership of the private American company. The deal would keep TikTok’s algorithm under the control of the US company, but disgruntled lawmakers have demanded a full split of ByteDance.
On Monday (27 Jan), Trump made some important statements about TikTok. When asked specifically if Microsoft was in talks to buy the app, President Trump replied, “I would say yes. There’s a lot of interest in TikTok. There’s a lot of interest in TikTok.”
Earlier in the day (26 Jan), while addressing Republican lawmakers at his Doral resort in Miami, the president said, “We’re going to have a lot of people bid (to buy the TikTok app), and if we can save all those voices and everything. And China is involved. No, we don’t want to involve China, but we’ll see what happens.”
Rumors reported by NPR a few days ago involved a group of US investors, including Oracle and possibly Microsoft, interested in buying TikTok from ByteDance.
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