Larry Ellison's Oracle is ‘leading contender to help run TikTok' in possible sale: report

Core Insights - Oracle, led by Larry Ellison, is a leading candidate to assist in the potential sale of TikTok as the Trump administration seeks to avoid a complete ban of the app [1][6] - ByteDance, TikTok's parent company, is reportedly interested in partnering with Oracle for the deal while maintaining a stake in TikTok's operations [2][3] - The deadline for a sale is set for April 5, following an executive order from Trump that delayed enforcement of Congress's ban [1][9] Group 1 - Oracle serves as TikTok's key cloud-computing provider and is involved in discussions regarding a potential acquisition [2][6] - ByteDance's previous initiative, "Project Texas," aimed to alleviate national security concerns by storing US user data on Oracle-controlled servers [3][4] - Concerns persist regarding TikTok's ties to the Chinese government, with critics alleging it acts as a tool for espionage [4] Group 2 - Trump has expressed openness to various bidders, including Ellison and Microsoft, while also indicating that the government might consider acquiring a stake in TikTok [6][7] - A group led by Frank McCourt and others is campaigning to buy TikTok and intends to rebuild its recommendation algorithm using blockchain technology [12] - A national survey indicated that 77% of Americans are worried about continued Chinese ownership of TikTok, highlighting public sentiment on the issue [15]