US President Donald Trump has mentioned Microsoft is in discussions to amass TikTok and that he want to see a “bidding battle” over the sale of the social media app.
When requested by reporters whether or not the US tech large was making ready a bid, Trump replied: “I might say sure” – earlier than including that there was “nice curiosity in TikTok” from a number of firms.
Each Trump and his predecessor Joe Biden have been attempting for years to pressure TikTok’s Chinese language guardian firm, ByteDance, to promote its US operations on nationwide safety grounds.
It comes as Trump signed an government order final week to delay a Biden Administration ban on TikTok that briefly took the app offline for its 170m customers in the USA.
Regardless of granting TikTok a 75-day reprieve from the ban, Trump had been the primary president to begin pressuring ByteDance to promote its app.
In August 2020, ByteDance approached Microsoft as a doable purchaser – one thing which the US firm’s chief government later described as “the strangest thing“.
Later, TikTok selected rival Oracle as a possible companion – though that deal additionally by no means occurred.
Trump has beforehand mentioned that he was in discussions with a number of events about buying TikTok and expects to decide on the app’s future inside the subsequent 30 days.
A spokesperson for Microsoft mentioned the corporate had “nothing to share at the moment”. The BBC has additionally reached out to TikTok for remark.
Earlier on Monday, the US president had addressed a gathering of Republican politicians in Florida and spoke concerning the proposed sale of TikTok.
“We’ll see what occurs. We’ll have lots of people bidding on it,” he mentioned.
“If we are able to save all that voice and all the roles, and China will not be concerned, we do not need China concerned, however we’ll see what occurs,” he added.
Earlier names linked with shopping for TikTok embody billionaire Frank McCourt and the Canadian businessman Kevin O’Leary – a celeb investor on Shark Tank, the US model of Dragon’s Den.
The most important YouTuber on the planet Jimmy Donaldson – AKA MrBeast – has additionally claimed he’s within the operating after numerous buyers contacted him following an earlier tweet signalling his curiosity.
