US President Donald Trump has hinted that a deal to keep TikTok operating in the US might soon be reached, though details were few and far between.
Mr Trump said on Sunday during an impromptu news conference aboard Air Force One that there were “four different groups” of US investors, entrepreneurs and technology moguls who have put together acquisition proposals to purchase a majority stake in the China-owned social media platform, which has given rise to US national security concerns in recent years. “A lot of people want it and it’s up to me, so there could be [a deal],” Mr Trump said.
Following a decision from the US Supreme Court in January, which allowed a law that sought to force ByteDance, the owner of TikTok, to divest from the platform, TikTok briefly ceased operating in the country, only to be brought back after Mr Trump exercised an option in the law extending the divestment deadline to April 5.
Most recently, Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian announced he would join billionaire Frank McCourt’s pursuit of TikTok, lengthening the list of keen investors.
Yet for all the interest, there has yet to be any indication from ByteDance or TikTok's chief executive Shou Zi Chew that the company is willing to give up majority ownership.
Mr Chew's last posted on TikTok on January 17, in a video expressing his gratitude to Mr Trump. “I want to thank President Trump for his commitment to work with us to find a solution that keeps TikTok available in the US,” he said.
“Rest assured we will do everything in our power to ensure our platform thrives as your online home for limitless creativity and discovery, as well as a source of joy and inspiration for years to come.”
For all the platitudes expressed in that footage, the bipartisan law passed by Congress requires that TikTok be owned by a US entity, due to concerns over Beijing's access to US user data.
Mr Chew has consistently denied users' data is at risk and since the extension that gave TikTok a lifeline in the US, he has not commented on any of the investors seeking to acquire a majority stake in the platform.
The lack of developments or updates from TikTok appears to be causing consternation among users. In the past seven days, according to Google, searches for “Is TikTok getting banned on April 5" are up 4,200 per cent in the US.
It hasn’t been an easy few months for the world’s most popular social media platform that has become the envy of the technology and media world.
Albania recently made the decision to shut down TikTok for at least 12 months amid worries that the video-sharing app was fuelling bullying and violence among children. Various media reports indicate that Albanian officials are trying to work with TikTok to blunt the effects of the app though the use of filtering features, and other potential changes.
Meanwhile, in Washington, TikTok lost a court dispute when a judge decided to unseal most of a lawsuit filed by Brian Schwalb, the Washington Attorney General, in 2024.
That lawsuit alleged that TikTok misled the public about how the platform was protecting younger users and people commonly lose track of time while using the app.
In the same report, TikTok also admitted that late-night usage of the app “cuts into planned bedtime” and “can even stimulate the brain to a point where it is more difficult to fall asleep”, the lawsuit read.
Though the litigation is unrelated to the law which seeks to force TikTok's sale to a US owner, the timing of the unsealed documents is problematic for a platform trying to gain public trust.
The recent stories putting TikTok in a less than flattering light also come as the company continues to make its case through an advertising blitz in the US.
TikTok's advertising campaign attempts to show how the platform helps small business owners and content creators throughout the US.
“Seven million US businesses rely on TikTok to compete,” said the narrator in a TV advertisements, showing people working in various capacities.
Despite all the advertising, however, TikTok's future in the US depends largely on legislators who seem reticent to repeal the law that forces its sale. It also depends on ByteDance, which so far has not made clear if it will sell a majority of the platform to a US entity.
At this point, the countdown for the April 5 deadline is on, though Mr Trump could issue another extension.
TikTok has not responded to requests for comment on this story.
