Tech Desk 
Jan 27, 2025
Oracle, Microsoft, and other investors are in talks to acquire TikTok’s global operations. The deal would reportedly see ByteDance keep a minority stake in TikTok while “the app’s algorithm, data collection, and software updates will be overseen by Oracle.”
According to a report by NPR, the White House is negotiating the deal, though President Trump has since denied he is working with Oracle.
Reuters reported that on a flight to Florida, Trump stated: “I have spoken to many people about TikTok and there is great interest in TikTok.”
However, according to the outlet, Oracle was not among those he’s spoken with: “No, not with Oracle. Numerous people are talking to me, very substantial people, about buying it and I will make that decision probably over the next 30 days. Congress has given 90 days. If we can save TikTok, I think it would be a good thing.”
Meanwhile, others who have reportedly considered buying TikTok include Elon Musk, real estate billionaire Frank McCourt, and Shark Tank host Kevin O’Leary. Recently, Trump said he would like Larry Ellison, who co-founded Oracle, to buy the platform.
On the other hand, Microsoft’s reported involvement isn’t clear beyond the fact that it is “engaged in the talks.” Moreover, the company was in the mix with Oracle and Walmart in a 2020 bid to take over TikTok that Microsoft Co-Founder Bill Gates had called “a poison[ed] chalice.”
This news comes after President Trump issued an executive order giving TikTok and others a 75-day reprieve from any enforcement action related to the United States’ requirement that ByteDance divest from TikTok.
