- TikTok has been targeted by President Trump through an executive order threatening to ban the video-sharing app because of its Chinese links
- Microsoft has publicly acknowledged that it is in talks with TikTok’s parent company ByteDance for an acquisition
- Twitter is also reportedly in talks with ByteDance, though Microsoft seems to be the favorite
Tech giant Microsoft has emerged as one of the leading companies to acquire TikTok’s global operations. Following suit, Twitter is supposedly in conversations with TikTok’s parent company ByteDance to take over its US operations. Though, this deal may be hampered after President Trump proposed sanctions through an executive order which wants to ban the app.
Trump administration’s executive order which is applicable from the 6th of August, bars the app’s parent company ByteDance from handling any transaction in the USA. President Trump has been vocal about how the Chinese app can be a potential security threat and wants to follow India’s example by banning the app. There is no evidence indicating any misuse of data and sharing Americans’ data with the Chinese government and TikTok plans to challenge this executive order.
With Microsoft planning for a possible acquisition, Twitter’s bid could be a long shot due to Microsoft’s financial muscle. Though Twitter is much smaller than the software giant, it may face less antitrust scrutiny which might work in favor of the social media platform. Microsoft has also mentioned in its blog that its CEO Satya Nadella had a conversation with President Trump about a possible TikTok acquisition. With 45 days for the executive order to take effect, Microsoft expects to wrap up the discussions by September 15.
If Jack Dorsey is able to pull it off, a Twitter-TikTok crossover sounds very exciting. Twitter is, of course, a successful social media platform, but let’s not forget that Microsoft is already in the game through LinkedIn. TikTok will definitely give a big boost to the software giant’s portfolio and also help in retaining the app in many countries. Let’s wait and watch who wins the bid to acquire the video-sharing app TikTok.
