Time is ticking for TikTok’s future in the United States, as a Saturday deadline could see the video-sharing platform banned in the country.
But that scenario appears unlikely as President Donald Trump has teased a last-minute deal to save it.
It comes after the US Supreme Court upheld a ruling on January 17 that TikTok was a risk to national security due to its ties to China and required TikTok’s parent company ByteDance to sell to a US owner or face a ban in the country.
On January 19, TikTok “went dark” for American users as the law took effect, but a day later, when Trump was sworn in he signed an executive order that delayed the platform’s sale or ban by 75 days.
TikTok came back online, giving ByteDance more time to find a non-Chinese buyer. But the April 5 deadline is now just days away and there is still only speculation about buyers but no confirmed offers.
Here are the possible scenarios for TikTok’s future in the US and the potential buyers.
Scenario 1: The law is paused (again)
Trump cannot overturn the law, but he could put the law on pause again; he has said the deadline could be extended further if needed.
The last time he did this was through an executive order, which is an official instruction from the president.
The Supreme Court’s ruling said the ban was “designed to prevent China – a designated foreign adversary – from leveraging its control over ByteDance to capture the personal data of US TikTok users”.
Scenario 2: TikTok ‘goes dark’
The Chinese government could be willing to close the app in the US rather than agree to a deal. It is generally seen that ByteDance would need Chinese government approval to sell.
This would mean Apple and Google no longer allowing US users to download the app and the platform switching off for its 170 million American users.
In late March, Trump said that he could give China a reduction on tariffs if Beijing agreed to a TikTok deal.
“Maybe I’ll give them a little reduction in tariffs or something to get it done,” Trump told journalists in the Oval Office.
Scenario 3: A buyer is found
It is possible that a buyer is in the works and we see a deal done in the eleventh hour.
These could be the possible new owners:
Amazon
E-commerce giant Amazon was putting together a last-minute bid, a Trump official reportedly told the New York Times on Wednesday.
Frank McCourt and Kevin O’Leary
Kevin O’Leary, host of the American investor show ‘Shark Tank,’ and Project Liberty founder and real estate mogul Frank McCourt submitted a formal offer to purchase TikTok in January, alongside other investors.
The group has called itself the ‘People’s Bid for TikTok’ as they say they would collect less user data.
Investors in the consortium say they’ve offered ByteDance $20 billion (almost €19 billion) in cash for the platform.
MrBeast and Jesse Tinsley
American YouTuber MrBeast, born Jimmy Donaldson, joined a bid with Employer.com founder Jesse Tinsley, according to CNN.
“Our offer represents a win-win solution that preserves this vital platform while addressing legitimate national security concerns,” Tinsley said in January.
He said the group would include other investors.
“We’re prepared to move quickly and have assembled a team with deep experience in technology, content moderation, and platform governance,” he added.
Perplexity
Artificial intelligence (AI) company Perplexity also made a bid in January to merge with TikTok, taking a 50-50 stake with the US government.
In March, the company said its TikTok would include a more transparent algorithm and benefit from Perplexity’s AI infrastructure.
“A TikTok rebuilt and powered by Perplexity would create the world’s greatest platform for creativity and knowledge discovery,” the company said.
Oracle
The software company Oracle is also trying to buy TikTok, according to multiple media reports.
The deal would also come from venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, according to the Financial Times, which also said the Oracle bid is one of the frontrunners.
Other possible buyers
Trump said in January that Microsoft was interested in buying the app, but no official comment from the tech giant has confirmed this.
Other interested parties include Trump’s former treasury secretary Steve Mnuchin.
Video site Rumble, which is popular with some conservatives and far-right groups, also expressed an interest in buying TikTok last year.
TikTok and ByteDance have not publicly commented on a potential buyer.
