-
-
US President Donald Trump disclosed on Monday that Microsoft is in discussions to acquire TikTok, and he expressed a desire to see a bidding war for the popular app.
TikTok, with approximately 170 million American users, was briefly taken offline ahead of a law that would require its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, to either sell the app or face a ban over national security concerns.
Trump signed an executive order on January 20 delaying the law’s enforcement by 75 days.
He mentioned that he was in talks with multiple parties about acquiring TikTok and expected to make a decision within 30 days.
Trump also noted that he would be open to Elon Musk purchasing the app, although Musk has not publicly responded.
Additionally, AI startup Perplexity AI proposed a merger with TikTok, offering the US government up to 50 percent of the new company in the future.
This marks the second time Microsoft has been a key contender to buy TikTok. Microsoft was a leading bidder in 2020, but talks collapsed, and the divestment effort stalled after Trump left office.
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella referred to the 2020 deal as “the strangest thing I’ve ever worked on,” noting that the US government’s specific requirements were eventually abandoned.
