Microsoft considers buying TikTok U.S.
Trump confirms Microsoft interest in TikTok U.S. buyout
Microsoft Corp. is reportedly in discussions to acquire the U.S. arm of ByteDance Ltd.’s TikTok, according to remarks made by President Donald Trump.
Trump confirmed, “A lot of interest in TikTok. There’s great interest in TikTok,” but provided no further details on the nature of Microsoft’s involvement, reports Bloomberg.
The short-video app, which boasts over 170 million users in the United States, has become the centre of a competitive bidding war involving several high-profile suitors. This follows renewed pressure from the Trump administration for ByteDance to divest TikTok’s U.S. operations over national security concerns.
Microsoft has declined to comment on its potential involvement in the deal, but the tech giant previously explored acquiring TikTok in 2020 during a similar standoff between the U.S. government and ByteDance.
Rising Competition for TikTok U.S.
TikTok’s U.S. operations have drawn attention from a range of bidders, including AI startup Perplexity and billionaire Frank McCourt, the former owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers, who submitted a formal bid earlier this month.
President Trump, speaking to Republican lawmakers in Florida earlier on Monday, acknowledged the growing interest in TikTok’s U.S. assets. Once an advocate for banning the app on national security grounds, Trump has softened his stance, particularly given TikTok’s prominence among U.S. creators and its role in promoting pro-Trump content.
“We’re going to have a lot of people bidding on it,” Trump said, emphasizing his preference for a competitive process. “If there’s a bidding war, that’s a good thing.”
Trump recently granted ByteDance a 75-day reprieve under U.S. law to sell TikTok’s U.S. operations to a domestic company. This extension has intensified the scramble among bidders eager to secure the app’s massive user base and social influence.
Meanwhile, Artificial intelligence startup Perplexity AI has revised its merger proposal to ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, suggesting a deal that would create a new U.S.-based entity, “NewCo.”
