The future of the popular video app TikTok in the US is once again at the center of political and economic discussions. Following the passing of a law in January 2025 calling for the sale of TikTok’s US activities for national security reasons, intensive negotiations are currently underway regarding a possible sale.
Four interested parties in the running
According to President Donald Trump, the US government is in talks with four different stakeholders regarding the sale of TikTok, as reported by Neowin. Although no specific names were mentioned, Trump emphasized that all four groups are promising.
Among the potential buyers are prominent figures such as former Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt and Alexis Ohanian, co-founder of Reddit. Analysts estimate the value of TikTok at up to 50 billion US dollars.
Background to the TikTok sale
The US government expressed concerns about national security in relation to TikTok, whose parent company ByteDance is based in China. It is feared that the app could pass on user data to the Chinese government, although ByteDance has always denied these allegations. To address these concerns, a law was passed in January 2025 requiring ByteDance to divest its US operations by April 5, 2025, otherwise the app could be banned in the US.
Extension of the deadline possible
President Trump was open to extending the deadline in order to find a suitable buyer for TikTok. He emphasized the great interest of US companies in acquiring the app and expressed his willingness to give them more time to negotiate. Originally, TikTok was to be sold by January 19, 2025, but a presidential decree extended this deadline by 75 days to April 5, 2025.
Challenges and outlook
The process of selling TikTok is complex and involves various challenges. In addition to US national security concerns, the Chinese government must also approve the sale, especially when it comes to the transfer of technologies such as the TikTok algorithms. ByteDance has emphasized that TikTok will remain a subsidiary of ByteDance and that there are no plans to transfer control of the TikTok code to US companies.
It remains to be seen how the negotiations will develop and what solution will ultimately be found to address both the security concerns of the US government and the interests of ByteDance and the users of TikTok.
Conclusion
The future of TikTok in the US remains uncertain. However, with four potential buyers and a possible extension of the deadline, the signs point to an imminent solution. It will be interesting to see how the situation develops and what impact this will have on users and the tech industry as a whole.
