Tech Desk 
Apr 01, 2025
A representational image. — Canva
In the latest development surrounding the TikTok ban in the US, US President Donald Trump claimed that ByteDance, TikTok's China-based parent, will have successfully sealed a deal before April 5, the extended deadline for the TikTok ban to take effect.
The development comes as a sigh of relief for the short-form video platform, given its fate has been hanging in the balance since Trump assumed office on January 20 this year, according to Reuters.
The US president extended the deadline on January 19, 2025, after its parent company failed to divest ownership mandated under a ban approved on national security grounds.
"We have a lot of potential buyers. There's tremendous interest in Tiktok," adding, "I'd like to see Tiktok remain alive," the publication cited Trump as saying aboard Air Force One.
In a bid to partake in ByteDance's non-Chinese shareholders in TikTok, a US-based private equity firm, Blackstone, is considering purchasing a minority chunk of investment in the short video platform's US operations.
Key shareholding of TikTok US is said to be led by Susquehanna International Group and General Atlantic.
Earlier in January, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) said China seeks to undermine US interests by amassing sensitive data about Americans and engaging in covert and malign influence operations.
