Microsoft in Talks to Acquire TikTok, Says Donald Trump

President Trump signals a possible bidding war for TikTok, with Microsoft leading discussions. Other figures like MrBeast and Kevin O’Leary are also eyeing the social media app's US operations.

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Microsoft in Talks to Acquire TikTok, Says Donald Trump

US President Donald Trump confirms that Microsoft is in talks to acquire TikTok, sparking speculation of a “bidding war” for the popular social media app. Trump told reporters that he believed Microsoft was truly preparing a proposal, stating, “I would say yes” when asked if the tech titan was interested in purchasing the app.

The president also noted that several companies have expressed strong interest in purchasing TikTok, indicating a competitive sale process.

Trump and former President Joe Biden have been pressing for years the Chinese parent company of TikTok, ByteDance, to sell its US operations based on national security concerns. Trump’s executive order last week accelerated this push and acted as a reprieve for the delayed Biden Administration ban on TikTok that briefly took the app offline for 170 million US users. The ban notwithstanding, Trump was the first to challenge ByteDance and set the ball rolling on calls to sell TikTok’s US operations.

TikTok acquisition talks: Microsoft, Oracle and other contenders

ByteDance had enlisted Microsoft as a possible buyer in August 2020. However, no such deal emerged, and the platform instead turned its attention to an alliance with Oracle, which again did not take off. The president remains positive about selling TikTok and says that an outcome regarding its fate could come in the next 30 days. Microsoft is unwilling to comment on this, but its spokesperson claimed, “We have nothing to share at this time.”

At a recent meeting of Republican politicians in Florida, reporters asked Trump about the current negotiations regarding the ongoing case over TikTok. According to him, “We’ll see what happens. We’re going to have a lot of people bidding on it.” He continued with the insistence of not letting China be in the management of TikTok saying, “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.”

Other Potential Buyers are MrBeast and Notable Figures

TikTok’s sale has sparked significant interest from a number of high-profile figures. Billionaire Frank McCourt and Canadian businessman Kevin O’Leary, a Shark Tank star investor, have shown interest in acquiring the potential takeover. In an unexpected twist, Jimmy Donaldson, better known as MrBeast and the world’s most popular YouTuber, has announced that he, too, is in the race. After expressing interest on Twitter, MrBeast received multiple questions from investors interested in funding his TikTok takeover bid.