Translated with AI
US President Donald Trump said he had reached an agreement to sell the American segment of the social network TikTok. According to him, the deal is intended to be carried out by a group of "very rich people" whose names he promised to name within two weeks. The American leader said this in an interview with Fox News on Sunday, June 29.
As Trump noted, the deal is in the pipeline and will likely require the approval of Chinese President Xi Jinping. "I think President Xi will probably give his approval," he said, without specifying whether the relevant negotiations had been held with the Chinese side.
Washington Pushes for TikTok Sale
US authorities are demanding that Chinese company ByteDance, which owns TikTok, sell the social network's American division. This demand is justified by concerns that Chinese authorities could gain access to the personal data of American users. The law regulating the separation of TikTok from its parent company was passed under President Joe Biden, Trump's predecessor.
The initial deadline for the sale was set for January 19, the day before Trump took office. After his inauguration, he extended the deadline, first to April 5, then for another 75 days, to give more time to close the deal.
Who Can Own TikTok in the US
A number of influential investors and companies have expressed interest in purchasing TikTok's US segment. Among them:
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Microsoft is one of the world's largest software developers;
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Perplexity AI is a startup specializing in artificial intelligence technologies;
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Blackstone Group is a major investment firm led by Stephen Schwarzman, a Trump supporter and Republican Party donor;
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Companies run by billionaires Frank McCourt, Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz.
The most likely buyer, according to analysts, remains the American company Oracle , which already cooperates with TikTok in the field of data storage and processing. Oracle tried to acquire the platform back in 2020, during Donald Trump's first presidential term.
Thus, the question of TikTok's future in the US is once again at the center of political decisions and business interests. Who exactly will be among TikTok's "very rich" new owners will become clear in the coming weeks.
