Reuters and The Wall Street Journal reported that after lengthy negotiations between the world’s two largest economies, President Donald Trump’s administration is close to finalizing a deal for the sale of TikTok’s US assets. Under the terms of the agreement, around 80% of TikTok’s US shares would go to a consortium of investors, including major players like Oracle, Andreessen Horowitz, and Silver Lake. Chinese parent company ByteDance would retain about 20%. A key detail is that the administration expects to collect a multibillion-dollar “service fee” for facilitating the talks and brokering the agreement with China.
The new American TikTok would operate on Oracle’s servers, where all US user data would be stored. It would also be majority-owned by American investors and even include a representative from the US government on its board of directors. In short, a “patriotic” structure focused on security and oversight.
Interestingly, Trump has not only delayed the mandatory sale of TikTok for the fourth time but is also looking to secure a hefty commission. Just like in any good business deal, if you are going to take a popular social network from a foreign owner, it is better to make it profitable.
So, TikTok’s future in the US is not just about control over algorithms and data — it is also about serious money for those who managed to orchestrate years-long negotiations. It will soon become clear whether these billions turn into real windfalls or just another political fairy tale.
