This is actually the second time that Microsoft is reportedly in talks to acquire TikTok. Photo: TikTok
Microsoft is in talks to acquire TikTok, according to U.S. President Donald Trump. The U.S. president added that he would like to see a bidding war over TikTok.
The latest development comes a week after Trump shared that he was discussing with several people over the acquisition of TikTok, and a decision is likely to be made within the next 30 days.
This is actually the second time that Microsoft expressed its interest in acquiring TikTok. In 2020, Trump called for a ban due to national security concerns over the Chinese government using the app to spy on Americans. Microsoft confirmed its intent to acquire TikTok, but it was rejected by the parent company ByteDance in favour of Oracle. The proposed deal with Oracle was slightly different, with the latter becoming a "trusted technology provider".
Then U.S. President Joe Biden signed a law in April 2024 that required ByteDance to sell TikTok to a U.S. company within 9 months or face a ban. After failing to get the Supreme Court to overturn the ban, TikTok went dark on 18 January 2025.
TikTok resumed its services on 19 January after Trump signed an executive order to delay the ban by another 75 days.
Source: Reuters
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