TikTok went on a rollercoaster trip in the U.S. during the past few days. After being considered a threat to national security based on a new law, TikTok had to cease its operations in the country. However, the ban lasted just a few hours. President Donald Trump issued an executive order to bring the app back as soon as he took the President’s Chair. However, one thing is clear, the company needs to go through some changes in its US operations if it plans to remain in the country. One of Trump’s suggestions was that the U.S. should own at least 50% of the company. Now, there are reports that one of the U.S. tech giants, Microsoft is considering buying TikTok.
Microsoft Could Acquire TikTok Operations in the United States
The info comes straight from U.S. President Donald Trump, according to him, Microsoft may buy TikTok’s operations in the United States. When asked about the possibility, Trump stated “There is a great interest in TikTok”.
“We’ll see what happens. We’re going to have a lot of people bidding on it, and if we can save all that voice and all the jobs, and China won’t be involved, we don’t want China involved, but we’ll see what happens,”he said in his speech, referring to the video-sharing app.
Microsoft declined to comment on reports of the company’s involvement in a deal. Trump mentioned he enjoys bidding wars among candidates for TikTok, as they lead to the best deals. “So if there’s a bidding war, that’s a good thing”.
TikTok has 170 million users in the U.S., but concerns over its parent company, ByteDance, and its links to China have raised national security issues. The platform was initially required to find a U.S. buyer by January 19. After a brief suspension of operations, the deadline was extended by 75 days, giving TikTok until April 4 to finalize the sale or risk a ban. However, this timeline could change if the U.S. president opts to delay the Supreme Court’s decision once more.