Microsoft confirms it is in talks with Trump about buying TikTok in the US by September

By Alma Fabiani

Published Aug 3, 2020 at 10:06 AM

Reading time: 2 minutes

In a blog post on Sunday 2 August, Microsoft said that after a conversation between President Trump and its CEO Satya Nadella, “Microsoft is prepared to continue discussions to explore a purchase of TikTok in the United States.” This move follows Trump’s announcement on Friday that he planned to ban the Chinese-owned social media platform from operating in the US. What is the TikTok ban exactly and what will happen to the video-sharing app in the US?

Is Trump going to ban TikTok in the US?

On Friday 31 July, Trump declared that he was going to “ban” the app from operating in the US over national security concerns. However, the US president didn’t clarify exactly how he would do so and what such an order would entail.

Following this news, while TikTokers started posting goodbye videos with links to their Instagram and Byte accounts, US secretary of state Mike Pompeo made an appearance on Fox News on Sunday, where he claimed that TikTok is “feeding data directly to the Chinese Communist Party, their national security apparatus—could be their facial recognition pattern, it could be information about their residence, their phone numbers, their friends, who they’re connected to.”

Pompeo had mentioned the possibility of a ban as early as 7 July, saying it was “something we’re looking at.” TikTok denied the accusations, stressing that its user data is stored in the US “with strict control on employee access.”

Microsoft publishes a blog post about buying TikTok

In a blog post on Sunday, Microsoft said it was “prepared to continue discussions to explore a purchase of TikTok in the United States,” following a conversation between its CEO Satya Nadella and President Trump. It’s the first time the company has confirmed that it was in talks to acquire the Chinese-owned video-sharing platform.

“Microsoft fully appreciates the importance of addressing the President’s concerns. It is committed to acquiring TikTok subject to a complete security review and providing proper economic benefits to the United States, including the United States Treasury,” the blog post reads. The company also added that it expects to move “quickly to pursue discussions with TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, in a matter of weeks, and in any event completing these discussions no later than September 15, 2020.”

For those of you thinking that this is nothing more than a simple interest in buying TikTok, the blog post also says that “the two companies have provided notice of their intent to explore a preliminary proposal that would involve a purchase of the TikTok service in the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand and would result in Microsoft owning and operating TikTok in these markets.” This means that, although TikTok is not sold yet, the wheels are in motion.

It remains unclear exactly how Microsoft would take over those countries while not affecting other areas where TikTok operates, like Europe and Africa. Microsoft also explained it did not commit to undertaking the purchase entirely on its own, saying that the company “may invite other American investors to participate on a minority basis in this purchase.”

When will TikTok be sold in the US?

Microsoft’s blog post describes the discussions as “preliminary” but also states that if it was to buy TikTok, the deal should be done before 15 September. The software company also added that it would “ensure that all private data of TikTok’s American users is transferred to and remains in the United States. To the extent that any such data is currently stored or backed-up outside the United States, Microsoft would ensure that this data is deleted from servers outside the country after it is transferred.”

Keep On Reading

By Fatou Ferraro Mboup

Problematic Christmas songs you probably shouldn’t sing anymore

By Abby Amoakuh

Donald Trump’s mental fitness comes into question as Joe Biden focuses on abortion

By Abby Amoakuh

Sydney Sweeney claps back at TikTok scammer who pretended to be her dietitian

By Charlie Sawyer

Side hustles are going to be taxed in the UK in January 2024. Here’s everything you need to know

By Charlie Sawyer

Understanding the sneaky link: Meaning of the dating trend beyond the hook-up

By Alma Fabiani

Watch terrifying moment waterslide explodes into huge fireball at theme park

By Fatou Ferraro Mboup

Shocking last words of young vape addict before he went into coma

By Emma O'Regan-Reidy

How LinkedIn has managed to appeal to four generations at once, gen Z included

By Fatou Ferraro Mboup

QAnon conspiracy theorists claim Iowa shooting was a political coverup for Jeffrey Epstein scandal

By Fatou Ferraro Mboup

Woman born with two uteri expecting a child in both, a one in 50 million chance

By Emma O'Regan-Reidy

Skincare who? Scalp treatments and hair care content are gen Z’s new favourite trends

By Emma O'Regan-Reidy

Do you watch or listen to content at 1.5x speed? Here’s what it actually does to you

By Alma Fabiani

Is David Attenborough dead? Netizens concerned by trending hashtag

By Charlie Sawyer

How to sell feet pics: Breaking down the side hustle helping Gen Zers pay their rent

By Emma O'Regan-Reidy

Stanley vs YETI: Which tumbler is worth the hype?

By Abby Amoakuh

Selena Gomez fans bash new boyfriend Benny Blanco and call him unworthy

By Abby Amoakuh

Micro-cheating is a millennial dating trend gen Zers aren’t worried about

By Charlie Sawyer

Who is going to be Donald Trump’s running mate? Will his top VP pick be a wildcard or safety option?

By Abby Amoakuh

Here’s why BookTok is already hating on Milly Bobby Brown’s fiction novel Nineteen Steps

By Charlie Sawyer

Are UK-based citizens actually going to be forced into mandatory conscription?