The US and China have signed off on a deal for TikTok’s Chinese owner to hand over the company’s American division to investors backed by Donald Trump. It means the US version of TikTok will become majority-owned by a group of investors that includes American tech giant Oracle, California-based private equity fund Silver Lake, and United Arab Emirates investment firm MGX.
The deal will ensure the video platform can continue operating in the US and comes just ahead of a takeover deadline set by the Trump administration that was extended several times. Writing on Truth Social after the deal’s announcement, Mr. Trump said he was «so happy to have helped in saving TikTok!». He went on to thank China’s Xi Jinping for not blocking the deal, and later told reporters aboard Air Force One he’d visit China in April, with Mr. Xi to visit the US towards the end of the year.
How we got here
In a December memo, TikTok said ByteDance – the social media app’s Chinese owner – will retain a 19.9% stake in US operations. Reuters reports that Silver Lake, Oracle, and MGX will each be managing investors with a 15% stake each, with Adam Presser serving as the joint venture’s chief. The decision will end years of uncertainty over the app’s future in the States, after Joe Biden signed a law in 2024 that required TikTok’s Chinese owners to sell up – or else it would be blocked.
The law was introduced amid concerns from some US politicians that ByteDance might share user data with the Chinese government, despite repeated assurances from the firm that it would not. Critics also expressed fears that Chinese authorities may be able to manipulate TikTok’s algorithms and shape what content users see and are influenced by. This claim was also denied.
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Despite those concerns, Americans make up TikTok’s largest user and creator bases, with more than 150 million active users in the country. In 2024, Mr. Trump voiced his opposition to a ban on the platform, despite having signed an executive order during his first term which would effectively ban the app. The TikTok deal comes as multiple countries around the world – including the UK – are considering a potential Australian-style ban on social media use for under-16s.
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