President Donald Trump has proposed a deal for an American investor to take a major stake in ByteDance’s TikTok, with the possibility of selling a 50% stake to the U.S. government. Several parties are reportedly interested in the deal, including Elon Musk, Larry Ellison, and MrBeast.
Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, has been flagged as a potential bidder for TikTok, given his close business ties to China and his opposition to the TikTok ban. Musk has also voiced support for a deal that would see him acquire TikTok’s U.S. operations.
Ellison, the chairman of Oracle, has also been mentioned as a potential bidder. He has a long history of supporting Trump and has worked with him on various initiatives. Ellison’s company, Oracle, is currently operating as a cloud infrastructure provider for ByteDance in the U.S.
MrBeast, a social media personality with over 100 million TikTok followers, has also expressed interest in buying the platform. He has posted videos claiming to have had talks with billionaires and has said that he is prepared to make a bid for the platform.
Other potential bidders for TikTok include large social media and technology players such as Meta and Google, as well as existing investors BlackRock, Coatue, and General Atlantic. According to reports, some of these investors are likely to participate in any sale of the U.S. platform by investing in the new entity.
The Chinese government is also expected to play a determining factor in whether ByteDance is allowed to make a divestiture. The Chinese government has previously expressed concerns about the sale of TikTok’s U.S. operations, citing national security concerns.
Trump’s proposal for a deal with TikTok has sparked controversy, with some legal and tech experts questioning the legality of the proposal. The Supreme Court has previously ruled to uphold the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act (PAFACA), which could make it difficult for TikTok to continue operating in the U.S. under the current law.
Despite the controversy, Trump remains committed to finding a solution that will keep TikTok in the U.S. He has proposed a 50% stake in the platform, with the U.S. government working alongside a private party to run the app.
In the end, the fate of TikTok in the U.S. remains uncertain, as negotiations between the Chinese government, the Trump administration, and potential bidders continue to unfold.
