TiktokOwned by the Chinese company Bytedance, was at the center of discussion in the United States four years ago due to concerns about using data that may be accessible by the Chinese government. Just this past month, the app experienced temporary interruption in the United States, which left millions of users in suspense before it was quickly restored.
Tiktok returned to the App Store and Google Play Store In February.
However, Tiktok’s future remains uncertain, and some investors compete for the opportunity to buy the application. The US trading of the platform could have its estimate to rise to higher $ 60 -milardoAs evidenced by CFRA Research’s senior vice president, Angelo Zino.
Tiktok Ban: What happened so far
To fully understand this high drama, we will first review the timeline of Tiktok’s tumultuous relationship with the US government, which resulted in various legal battles and negotiations.
The drama first began in August 2020When Trump signed an executive order to ban transactions with parent company Bytedance.
A month later, Trump’s management aimed to force a sale of Tiktok’s US operations to a US company. The main contestants included Microsoft, Oracle, and Walmart. However, a US judge temporarily Blocked Trump’s executive order, allowing Tiktok to continue operating during the legal battle developed.
Things began to progress even more last year after the transition to Biden’s administration. The US House of Representatives, In an overwhelming 360-58 votepassed the legislation against Tiktok. On April 23, 2024, The Senate approved the bill.
Shortly thereafter, President Joe Biden signed the bill requiring Tiktok to be sold or banned. In response, Tiktok sued the US governmentChallenging the constitutionality of the ban and arguing the application and its US users had their rights of a first amendment violated. The company has consistently denied that it poses a security threat, claiming that its data stored in the United States is in line with all local laws.
Trump has a heart
On December 27, 2024, Trump opposite Tiktok’s possible ban in court, stating that he could find a way to keep the application in the United States.
In January, The US Supreme Court confirmed the protective Americans against foreign opposing control applications Act (PAFACA), commonly referred to as “the Tiktok ban.” Tiktok made a formal announcement that it is likely to be darkened on January 19th.
Tiktok turns off … then returns online
Although Tiktok actually shut up In the United States, when the act came into force, it did not last long. The program Returned online Less than 12 hours later. The platform noted, “As a result of President Trump’s efforts, Tiktok has returned in the United States”
Where we are today
On January 20thTrump signed an executive order that delayed Tiktok’s ban for 75 days. This extension provides the application with additional time to sell participation in the platform or reach a deal with Trump. Its goal is to reach a 50-50 possession arrangement between Bytedance and a US company.
More recently, At the beginning of MarchTrump told reporters that his administration spoke with four different groups that are interested in buying the platform, per reuters.
No definitive agreement was reached yet for the sale of the platform, but we could find out very soon.
Below is a list of investment groups and companies is said to be potential buyers of Tiktok’s US operations. (Surprisingly, Elon Musk is not among them.)
The People’s Offer for Tiktok
The People’s Offer for Tiktok is a consortium organized by Project Liberty -Founder Frank McCourtwhich is also the former owner of the Los -English -Dodgers. Investment company Guggenheim Securities and lawyer Kirkland & Ellis help assemble the offer. The main mission of the people’s offer to get Tiktok is to prioritize privacy and data control, taking open source access.
Supporters involved include:
- Alexis Ohanian: Reddit’s co -founder is the most recent Technical entrepreneur to join people’s offer, taking on the role of a strategic advisor. He joined on March 3.
- Kevin O’Leary: Known investor and television personality that before told Fox he was willing to buy Tiktok for $ 20 billion. O’Leary have joined The bid of the people on January 6th.
- Tim Berners-Lee: The World Website inventor supports the proposal because “users must have the ability to control their own data”, Berners-Lee said in a statement.
- David Clark: A senior researcher at the MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, Clark was also named participant.
US investment consortium
Jesse TinsleyDystter.com’s general manager and founder, leads a consortium of US investors. Last month, Tinsley announced $ 30 billion Get Tiktok’s US operations.
- David Baszucki: Tinsley told Bloomberg That the co -founder and general manager of Roblox is a participant.
- Nathan McCauley: The co -founder and general manager of Crypto Platform Anchorage Digital were confirmed to participate in the consortium, reported Bloomberg.
Other stakeholders
- Bobby Kotick: Activision’s former Director General is reportedly reportedly Interested in buying Tiktok. With his experience managing a major video game company, his interest in the app could be driven by the potential to integrate gaming and social resources.
- Steven Mnuchin: The former US Fiscal Secretary who served during President Trump’s first term Re -enclosed discussions About the possible purchase of Tiktok.
- Oracle: The company had previously proposed Tiktok back in 2020. Prior to the White House in January, Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison told Trump that 50% owns “seemed a good deal. “The information Reported In March, Oracle is the best choice to serve as the cloud -technology partner to help Tiktok run in the United States
- Walmart: The retail giant could also watch Tiktok to improve its achievement in e-commerce, especially considering the influence of the platform on consumer purchasing. Walmart First expressed interest back in 2020.
- Microsoft: The technological giant has previously shown interest in acquiring TiktokAnd Trump mentioned that the company recently reappeared the offer to buy the application.
- Rumble: The YouTube alternative advertised at x that it wants to get Tiktok and serve as its cloud technology partner.
- Perplexity ai: The starting of AI -search engine presented an offer last month, According to CNBC.
The story was updated after publication to include new stakeholders.
