Trump says Microsoft is in talks to acquire TikTok

U.S. President Donald Trump revealed on Monday that Microsoft is in discussions to acquire TikTok, the popular social media app. He added that he would welcome a bidding war for TikTok’s ownership.

Key Details:

• TikTok, owned by China’s ByteDance, has about 170 million American users.
• A U.S. law requiring ByteDance to sell TikTok or face a ban went into effect on January 19.
• Trump recently delayed the enforcement of this law by 75 days through an executive order.

Potential Buyers:

• Microsoft previously attempted to buy TikTok in 2020 but described the process as “the strangest thing” it had worked on.
• Trump has also suggested that Elon Musk could buy TikTok, though Musk has not commented.
• On Sunday, AI startup Perplexity AI reportedly proposed merging with TikTok, with the U.S. government potentially owning a share of the new company.

Background:

This is the second time Microsoft has been considered as a potential buyer for TikTok. During Trump’s first term, similar concerns over national security led to a push for ByteDance to sell TikTok’s U.S. operations.

Microsoft, TikTok, and ByteDance have not yet commented on the current discussions. Trump said a decision on TikTok’s future could be made within 30 days.