Here's what's happening right now with the US TikTok deal
OracleOracle(US:ORCL) TechCrunch·2025-09-26 13:49

Core Insights - TikTok, owned by ByteDance, has faced scrutiny in the U.S. over user data security concerns, leading to a complex relationship with the government [1][14] - An executive order by President Trump has approved the sale of TikTok's U.S. operations to an American investor group, valuing the U.S. business at approximately $14 billion, with potential future valuation exceeding $60 billion [3][4] Group 1: Ownership and Valuation - A consortium of investors, including Oracle, Silver Lake, and Andreessen Horowitz, is expected to oversee TikTok's U.S. operations, holding an 80% stake, while Chinese stakeholders will retain the remaining shares [5][6] - The deal is part of a framework agreement between the U.S. and China, with President Xi Jinping's approval for the transaction [4][5] Group 2: Operational Changes - Oracle is anticipated to manage TikTok's security and safety measures, replicating and securing a new U.S. version of the algorithm, which ByteDance will not have access to [9][10] - Reports suggest that once the deal is finalized, the TikTok app may be discontinued in the U.S., requiring users to transition to a new platform, though details about this platform remain unclear [11] Group 3: Historical Context - The timeline of TikTok's relationship with the U.S. government includes various legal battles and negotiations, starting with Trump's executive order in August 2020 to ban transactions with ByteDance [14][15] - TikTok has consistently denied posing a security threat, asserting compliance with local laws regarding data storage in the U.S. [16]