Microsoft is one among a number of corporations trying to strike a deal to take possession of the favored social media app TikTok, in keeping with United States president Donald Trump. Requested on Monday aboard Air Power One if Microsoft was within the combine to make a deal, Trump instructed reporters, including the AP, “I might say sure.”
In 2020, Microsoft formally introduced plans to purchase TikTok, which despatched the corporate’s share value surging. Microsoft later abandoned its buyout try, with CEO Satya Nadella saying the deal was the “strangest thing I’ve ever worked on.” Now, Microsoft could also be again on the negotiating desk.
Trump mentioned different corporations are within the combine to purchase TikTok as effectively, however he did not identify them outright. It was beforehand reported that Activision founder Bobby Kotick was assembling an investment group to buy TikTok. The AI firm Perplexity has additionally discussed a potential deal that will give the US authorities a 50% possession stake in TikTok.
“I like bidding wars since you make your finest offers,” Trump mentioned.
Earlier this month, the US Supreme Court docket upheld TikTok’s ban, and the platform briefly went darkish. It is again on-line, although the app stays unavailable for brand spanking new customers from the App Retailer and Google Play. Trump not too long ago prolonged the deadline for TikTok to discover a new proprietor within the US by 75 days, with the deadline now being April 4.
Republicans and Democrats alike have raised issues about nationwide safety over TikTok based mostly on the corporate’s possession by a Chinese language firm, ByteDance. How a possible sale of TikTok would possibly come collectively stays a thriller, whether or not it comes as a sale of TikTok’s US operations, the platform fully, or another type of deal past a complete divestiture by ByteDance.
ByteDance is holding regular and saying over and over that it will not sell.