Donald Trump recently announced that a buyer for TikTok has been found, though he’s keeping the identity under wraps for now. The former president mentioned we’ll hear more in “about two weeks,” continuing the saga around the popular app’s uncertain future in the US.
Since TikTok’s Chinese parent company was ordered to sell its US operations or lose access to the market, the situation has been a rollercoaster of delays and political back-and-forth. Trump has postponed sale deadlines multiple times, leaving everyone guessing.
During an interview on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo,” Trump said, “We have a buyer for TikTok, by the way,” and hinted that approval from China’s President Xi might be necessary. When asked who the buyer is, he replied, “I’ll tell you in about two weeks,” describing them as “a group of very wealthy people.” This sounds oddly familiar, as similar vague comments were made back in March, when four potential buyer groups were mentioned but none confirmed.
The ongoing tension between the US and China adds another layer to this drama. With trade tariffs and lawsuits over alleged smuggling of Nvidia AI chips to China’s military, it’s no shock the Chinese government is wary of the app’s future ownership.
Speculation about the buyer includes names like Frank McCourt, Activision CEO Bobby Kotick, or even Microsoft. If Microsoft does take over, Xbox integration with TikTok might not be far behind. Given Microsoft’s recent release of an Xbox-themed Oculus Quest 3S, could a black and green TikTok phone be next? Yikes, that’s a wild thought.
Will we get clarity in two weeks? Or is this just another tease in a long line of TikTok’s US ownership mysteries? I’m curious what you think, who would you want controlling TikTok stateside? Drop your thoughts in the comments below.
