TikTok in the US: Who Are the Potential Buyers, and What Does Trump’s Sovereign Wealth Fund Have to Do With It?
- Michele
- 11 February 2025, Tuesday
TikTok’s future in the U.S. has been uncertain after a bill was signed into law mandating the app’s sale, with Donald Trump suggesting the possibility of a U.S. sovereign wealth fund involvement. As potential buyers emerge and ByteDance weighs its options, the app’s fate remains in the balance.
TikTok ban: Trump's wealth fund as a solution?
TikTok and its U.S. users have faced a turbulent time. Last year, former President Joe Biden signed a bill to ban the app in the U.S. unless it was sold to an American company. The bill was signed into law on April 22, 2024, and took effect on January 19, 2025. Since then, the app has been unavailable in app stores.
Yet, Donald Trump’s inauguration for his second term as U.S. president seemingly brought some changes to the TikTok ban. For now, the app remains online but unavailable for download. However, he extended the deadline for the sale, stating the following: “I intend to consult with my advisors, including the heads of relevant departments and agencies, on the national security concerns posed by TikTok and to pursue a resolution that protects national security while saving a platform used by 170 million Americans.”
At the same time, Trump suggested that the fund could be used to re-establish TikTok: “We might put that in the sovereign wealth fund, whatever we make, or if we do a partnership with very wealthy people—a lot of options. But we could put that, as an example, in the fund.” This could happen through a purchase or significant investment, which Trump previously hinted at by suggesting that the U.S. could own 50% of the app within the scope of a joint venture.
Potential buyers eyeing TikTok in the U.S.
That said, several other interested parties have their eyes on TikTok. According to Digital Music News, potential buyers include Microsoft, Perplexity AI, Meta, Alphabet (Google), former Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick, former Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, The People’s Bid for TikTok (a group of multiple investors), and the Jesse Tinsley-assembled consortium, which includes Roblox co-founder and CEO David Baszucki and YouTuber MrBeast.
Whether ByteDance agrees to sell TikTok remains unclear. So far, it has been reluctant to do so, even filing a lawsuit against the U.S. government, which was ultimately rejected by the U.S. Justice Department. However, some news outlets suggest the company may now be more open to a sale.
Meanwhile, some people have found a way to profit from the app’s unavailability by selling phones with TikTok preinstalled—sometimes at outrageous prices. We are curious to see what happens next with TikTok.
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