In a major development for the future of TikTok in the United States, President Donald Trump has signed an executive order approving a deal that would bring the app under U.S. ownership. The move effectively prevents a nationwide ban on the popular video platform, which has been in limbo since a law passed in 2024 required its Chinese owner, ByteDance, to sell its U.S. assets.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!According to the White House, the deal would spin off TikTok into a new U.S.-based joint venture, with a consortium of American investors, including Oracle and Silver Lake, holding an approximate 80% stake. ByteDance would retain a minority stake of less than 20%. The governance of the new company would be tilted toward American control, with U.S. investors occupying most of the board seats and ByteDance’s sole representative being excluded from national security committees.
The executive order, signed on Thursday, delays the enforcement of the 2024 law for another 120 days to allow the deal to be finalized. Trump stated that Chinese President Xi Jinping had “signed off” on the arrangement, a crucial step that resolves months of international negotiations.
Vice President JD Vance emphasized that the deal would ensure American investors control the algorithm that shapes what users see, addressing national security concerns about foreign propaganda. Trump, who has credited the app with boosting his 2024 reelection campaign, stated that while he would make the platform “100% MAGA” if he could, the new company would be fair to “every philosophy, every policy.”
Key figures in the deal include Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison, a longtime Trump ally, and media mogul Rupert Murdoch, along with Dell founder Michael Dell, who are all expected to be investors in the new venture.
