Trump Says Microsoft Is One Of Multiple Companies Eyeing TikTok Purchase

As a passionate gamer, I’ve heard rumors swirling that Microsoft might be one of several companies aiming to grab TikTok, the trendy social media app we all love. According to President Donald Trump, this could be true since he mentioned in a chat aboard Air Force One that if Microsoft is indeed in the running for a deal, his answer would be a resounding “yes.

2020 saw Microsoft reveal intentions to acquire TikTok, causing a significant increase in their stock prices. However, Microsoft later called off its takeover bid, with CEO Satya Nadella describing it as “the oddest project I’ve ever been involved with.” Now, there are indications that Microsoft might resume negotiations.

Trump mentioned that other businesses could potentially be vying for TikTok, though he didn’t explicitly name them. Previous reports have suggested that Bobby Kotick, founder of Activision, is putting together an investment group to acquire TikTok. Moreover, Perplexity, a tech company, has been rumored to be in discussions about a deal that would grant the U.S. government a 50% ownership stake in TikTok.

“I like bidding wars because you make your best deals,” Trump said.

This month, the U.S. Supreme Court approved TikTok’s ban temporarily causing the platform to go offline. However, it has since returned online, but users in the U.S. cannot download or access the app from App Store and Google Play. President Trump extended the timeframe for TikTok to find a new American owner by 75 days, with the deadline now being April 4th.

There is shared apprehension among Republicans and Democrats about national security issues related to TikTok due to its ownership by the Chinese company, ByteDance. The exact method through which TikTok might be sold is still unclear. This could involve the sale of TikTok’s U.S. operations, the platform as a whole, or some other type of arrangement that goes beyond a complete sell-off by ByteDance.

ByteDance is holding steady and saying over and over that it will not sell.

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2025-01-28 17:09