- By Prateek Levi
- Tue, 28 Jan 2025 03:35 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Microsoft acquire TikTok: After nearly five years, Microsoft is reportedly back in talks to acquire TikTok’s U.S. operations from ByteDance. The discussions, which were confirmed by former U.S. President Donald Trump on January 27, reignite a saga that started in 2020. At that time, Microsoft and Oracle Corp were contenders to take over TikTok’s U.S. arm, following Trump’s push for ByteDance to sell its U.S. business amid national security concerns.
At a September 2021 event, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella reflected on the failed 2020 acquisition attempt, calling it “the strangest thing I’ve ever sort of worked on.”
Trump, when asked if Microsoft was in talks to acquire TikTok, responded, “I would say yes. A lot of interest in TikTok. There’s great interest in TikTok.” Earlier that day, Trump had suggested that talks were ongoing about TikTok’s future, and while his previous stance was to ban the app over security risks, it seems his view has softened somewhat. Trump pointed to the popularity of pro-Trump content on TikTok as influencing his position, and he granted ByteDance a 75-day window to sell its U.S. operations to a domestic company. He also encouraged additional bidders, saying, “I like bidding wars because you get the best deal.”
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Trump added, “We’ll see what happens. We’re going to have a lot of people bidding on it, and if we can save all that voice and all the jobs—and keep China out of it, because we don’t want China involved—we’ll see where it goes.”
Microsoft had first been approached by ByteDance in August 2020, following Trump’s threat to ban TikTok. Despite Microsoft’s interest, ByteDance ultimately chose Oracle as a potential buyer, although that deal also fell through. In a 2021 interview at the Code Conference, Nadella shared that he was “kind of intrigued” when TikTok first approached him about a possible acquisition.
While Microsoft has yet to officially comment on the new reports regarding its involvement, TikTok remains a hot topic in the tech world. The short-video app, with over 170 million users in the U.S., continues to attract attention from various companies. Recently, AI startup Perplexity bid to merge with TikTok’s U.S. arm, and billionaire Frank McCourt, former owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers, also made an offer earlier this month.