Microsoft Reportedly in Talks to Acquire TikTok, Trump Confirms

U.S. President Donald Trump recently stated that Microsoft is engaged in talks to acquire TikTok, the popular video-sharing app, Reuters reports. Speaking to the press on Monday, Trump expressed his interest in seeing competition among bidders for the platform, indicating that a bidding war could be beneficial.

Microsoft declined to comment on the matter, while TikTok and its Chinese parent company ByteDance did not respond to Reuters’ inquiries outside of regular business hours. Trump revealed last week that discussions involving multiple parties were underway and suggested that a decision about TikTok’s future could come within 30 days.

Per Reuters, this is not the first time Microsoft has been associated with a potential acquisition of TikTok. During Trump’s presidency, the app faced scrutiny over national security concerns due to its ties to ByteDance. At the time, the U.S. government pressured ByteDance to sell TikTok’s U.S. operations or face a ban. The app, which has around 170 million users in the United States, was briefly taken offline before a law requiring its sale was delayed.

Related: TikTok Stays Online for Now: Trump Floats US Ownership Deal

While Microsoft remains a key name in the ongoing talks, Trump also mentioned he had previously been open to the idea of Elon Musk purchasing TikTok. However, according to Reuters, Musk has not made any public statements regarding such a possibility.

Adding to the intrigue, Reuters notes that AI startup Perplexity AI recently proposed a merger with TikTok, with a plan that would allocate up to half of the new company’s ownership to the U.S. government in the future. This development underscores the growing interest in the app’s operations, which remain a focal point of national security discussions.

Source: Reuters