TikTok Sale Gains Momentum as Trump Signs Executive Order Approving Deal

[MacRumors]

U.S. President Donald Trump today signed an executive order approving a deal that would see TikTok's U.S. operations largely sold off, reports CNBC. The deal would allow TikTok to comply with U.S. law requiring the social media service to be sold to a non-Chinese company or be banned from operating in the country.

A joint-venture company that includes Oracle, Silver Lake, and Abu-Dhabi-based MGX investment fund will oversee TikTok's U.S. operations, with TikTok parent company ByteDance retaining less than 20 percent of the company. The joint-venture group will control a 45 percent stake in TikTok, while ByteDance investors and new stakeholders will hold 35 percent.

Oracle will oversee TikTok's security operations and will provide cloud computing services for the U.S. TikTok company. The deal suggests that ByteDance will lease a copy of its algorithm to the U.S. TikTok shareholders, with the algorithm to be "retrained and monitored" by Oracle.

"It's owned by Americans, and very sophisticated Americans," Trump said of the deal, which still needs to be officially approved by China.

TikTok's U.S. operations will be valued at $14 billion, according to U.S. Vice President JD Vance. The number is less than half of previous estimates of TikTok's U.S. value. According to CNBC, no ByteDance representatives were at the signing of the order, and there is no indication the Chinese government has changed its stance on approving a deal. China previously said that it would not approve the sale of TikTok, but Trump claims that Chinese President Xi Jinping verbally approved the deal during "a good talk."

TikTok has technically been banned in the United States since January 19 due to the passing of the Protecting Americans From Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act in 2024. Trump has repeatedly delayed enforcement of TikTok's ban, preventing the U.S. Department of Justice from going after companies that continue to distribute the TikTok app.

The act requires TikTok to be sold to a non-Chinese company or cease operating in the U.S., and with the executive order, Trump has declared that his deal complies with the law. It is unclear if Congress will agree.

ByteDance and the U.S. investors have 120 days to close the deal, so it will need to be completed by the end of January 2026.

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Article Link: TikTok Sale Gains Momentum as Trump Signs Executive Order Approving Deal

 

[Sammy in SoCal]

I’m pretty sure they’re going ban any pro Palestinian or anti-Zionist information. Truth in general will be diminished.

 

[F23]

Tim you should've cooked & bought TikTok and rename it to iTik

 

[WarmWinterHat]

TikTok US is about to be the next truth social. I don’t use it now, but you can be sure I’ll never use it going forward.

Skip it, folks.

 

[dannyyankou]

If ByteDance still owns 20% of the company, I don’t think this complies?

 

[DEMinSoCAL]

You can bet that somehow, somewhere, someone with the last name "Trump" will be making money off of this.

 

[Petey07]

TikTok US is about to be the next truth social. I don’t use it now, but you can be sure I’ll never use it going forward.

Skip it, folks.

Agreed, I am ready to delete my account and remove the app. They have already started the censorship before this.

 

[jarman92]

TikTok's U.S. operations will be valued at $14 billion, according to U.S. Vice President JD Vance.

That’s, um, not quite how valuations work, JD.

 

[jarman92]

If ByteDance still owns 20% of the company, I don’t think this complies?

It does not.

 

[cbaca51]

TikTok boutta turn into X with them pushing certain views. RIP

 

[Ghost31]

I’m done caring of TikTok gets banned or not. It’s all garbage propaganda anyway and people repeating dangerous misinformation. It’s only gonna get worse after Trump’s friends own it.

 

[GermanSuplex]

Larry Ellison is really cleaning up nicely during this griftministration.

 

[e-coli]

Another media channel controlled by conservative interests, which was always the point of this.

Nice work, America.

 

[CapitalIdea]

State media. No thanks.

 

[ProbablyDylan]

I feel bad for America's youth. Suppose I should be glad that it'll be American billionaires melting their brains as opposed to Chinese billionaires (assuming they're allowed to exist over there).

How the hell did we get here of all places? What happened to us?

 

[samh004]

I'll believe it when I see it. When it actually happens.

 

[e-coli]

I feel bad for America's youth. Suppose I should be glad that it'll be American billionaires melting their brains as opposed to Chinese billionaires (assuming they're allowed to exist over there).

How the hell did we get here of all places? What happened to us?

We got here thanks to religion, greed, corruption, and a complete absence of consequences

 

[tivoboy]

Seems that there really isn’t a DEAL here in reality, this EO only indicated that based on the data supplied by the White House, it wouldn’t violate the current law to ban it, or it would satisfy the laws requirement for divestment.. but reports say Bytedance hasn’t agreed to this at all yet.

 

[digimc]

Tim you should've cooked & bought TikTok and rename it to iTik

Tic, Tac, Toe my friend.

 

[digimc]

You can bet that somehow, somewhere, someone with the last name "Trump" will be making money off of this.

You are of course right. I had just already assumed Trump's family has been using the U.S. Treasury to print their own money. Of course I would like to think I am just being a bit to presumptuous.

 

[eifelbube]

“Trump has declared that his deal complies with the law. It is unclear if Congress will agree.”

To be consistent with the political reality since January 2025, these two sentences should be revised as follows:

“Because Trump has declared that his deal complies with the law, it is clear that the Republican majority in Congress will agree.”

 

[JPack]

If ByteDance still owns 20% of the company, I don’t think this complies?

It complies because the law reads, "the President determines" meaning if he says it complies, then it complies.

The algorithm is still under the control of ByteDance. It's basically a black box that's merely leased to U.S. companies for training. That alone doesn't comply. But again, the law says "the President determines."

This was always going to be the case, as there is no situation where ByteDance would ever sell their secret sauce.

 

[WarmWinterHat]

It complies because the law reads, "the President determines" meaning if he says it complies, then it complies.

The algorithm is still under the control of ByteDance. It's basically a black box that's merely leased to U.S. companies for training. That alone doesn't comply. But again, the law says "the President determines."

It doesn't specify that the US version will use Bytedance's algorithm. It might have it's own.

 

[JPack]

It doesn't specify that the US version will use Bytedance's algorithm. It might have it's own.

The news right now is all about "leasing" the algorithm from ByteDance.

Where would a new algorithm even come from? Oracle?

 

[SoGood]

I’m pretty sure they’re going ban any pro Palestinian or anti-Zionist information. Truth in general will be diminished.

No surprise with Rupert Murdoch in that list of ‘investors’. This whole thing is about highway robbery and mind control within the US. Such is the state of the United States as we move towards the mid-21st Century. Not sure to laugh or cry but LOL!