TikTok, the wildly popular video-sharing platform with over 170 million users in the United States, may soon have a new owner. American buyer of TikTok
After weeks of speculation from users, businesses, and lawmakers, U.S. President Donald Trump has identified some of the potential buyers. Among those named are media mogul Rupert Murdoch and tech entrepreneur Michael Dell. American buyer of TikTok
According to Trump, who recently spoke with Chinese President Xi Jinping, the U.S. is moving toward securing American ownership of TikTok. In an interview with Fox News, Trump mentioned that Rupert Murdoch and his son Lachlan—who heads Fox News and News Corp—as well as Michael Dell, the founder and CEO of Dell Technologies, are expected to be involved in the bid for TikTok. American buyer of TikTok
“I think they’re going to be in the group,” Trump said. “A couple of others. Really great people, very prominent people. They’re also American patriots, you know, they love this country. I think they’re going to do a really good job,” Trump said, according to an AP report. American buyer of TikTok
Trump names the Ellisons & Murdochs
among the American right-wing billionaires who will now help him control TikTok pic.twitter.com/Y8KXjrkQzm— The Tennessee Holler (@TheTNHoller) September 21, 2025
Trump also highlighted Oracle co-founder and chairman Larry Ellison as another key player in the deal. According to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, Oracle would be responsible for handling TikTok’s data and security infrastructure.
According to Fox News Digital, President Donald Trump is expected to approve a proposed deal this week that would ensure TikTok in the United States is majority-owned by American investors. American buyer of TikTok
Citing a White House official the channel report that under the new deal, U.S. operations will be run by a new joint-venture company, while ByteDance, the current owner of the app, will hold less than 20% of the stock, as mandated by law. American buyer of TikTok
Trump, who boasts 15 million followers on his personal TikTok account, credits the platform with playing a significant role in his successful re-election campaign last year.
According to Reuters, the U.S.-China agreement will mandate that all data related to American users be stored on cloud infrastructure operated by U.S. software giant Oracle.
This arrangement will seek to ensure that TikTok’s algorithm will be “secured, retrained, and managed entirely within the United States, beyond the reach of ByteDance.”
US, China reach framework deal on TikTok’s future as ban looms
An official explained that TikTok’s content-recommendation algorithm will be rebuilt from the ground up, undergoing thorough review and oversight within the U.S., using American user data that will not be shared internationally. American buyer of TikTok
Currently owned by the Chinese tech firm ByteDance, TikTok has come under scrutiny from U.S. officials who warn that the app’s powerful recommendation algorithm could be manipulated by Chinese authorities to promote content in subtle and undetectable ways.
Under a proposed new ownership structure, Americans would hold six of the seven seats on TikTok’s U.S. board—an arrangement that China reportedly opposes, preferring equal representation for both countries.
U.S. and Chinese officials have until December 16 to finalize the agreement, following a recent deadline extension from the Trump administration.
While Congress has passed legislation to ban TikTok in the U.S. beginning in January, Trump has repeatedly delayed enforcement, opting instead to negotiate a sale of TikTok’s U.S. operations to American investors.
Apart from security concerns around Americans’ data, TikTok also holds significance as an important ingredient of the larger social media platforms matrix that shapes public opinion. According to a recent study, more than 50% of Americans get their news from social media, and about 75% watch news in video format.
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Ali Imran is a Washington-based journalist, who has worked for leading world news organizations as correspondent, expert and in editorial positions. He is a published author and poet.
