Microsoft could be a potential buyer of TikTok, Donald Trump claims
US President Donald Trump told reporters that Microsoft Corporation is in talks to acquire the popular TikTok app. Trump expressed his desire to see a trade war over the app.
Here's What We Know
This is the second time that Microsoft is involved in talks to buy TikTok. In 2020, the company also tried to acquire the platform, but talks failed as Trump left the US presidency. At the time, Microsoft's CEO, Satya Nadella, called the deal "the weirdest thing" he had ever worked on.
TikTok, which has about 170 million users in the US, was temporarily shut down on 19 January before a law requiring Chinese company ByteDance to sell the app or face a ban came into effect. Trump, who took office on 20 January, signed an executive order granting a 75-day delay in enforcing the law. The president also said he is in talks with several potential buyers and expects to make a decision on TikTok's future within 30 days.
Trump has previously said he is open to billionaire Ilon Musk buying the app if the Tesla CEO is interested. However, Musk has not publicly commented on the offer.
On Sunday, 26 January, AI startup Perplexity AI proposed a merger with TikTok in which the US government would get up to half of the new company. In addition to Microsoft, other companies such as Oracle, which already supports TikTok's US operations through its servers and infrastructure, have also shown interest in acquiring TikTok.
Although Microsoft has been named among the leading contenders, the company declined to make any statement. TikTok and its parent company ByteDance have also remained silent so far.
Source: Reuters
