Millions of TikTok users in the U.S. are looking to President Donald Trump, who has given the Chinese company ByteDance a 75-day deadline to reach an agreement with an American company to purchase the platform, or it will be banned in the U.S.
On Tuesday, Trump asked Larry Ellison, the CEO of the American technology company Oracle, to purchase the TikTok network.
The future of the app used by millions of Americans is uncertain.
Trump met yesterday at the White House with Larry Ellison, CEO of Oracle, Masayoshi Son, CEO of Softbank, and Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, regarding an initiative to invest $500 billion in artificial intelligence infrastructure.
After the meeting, a reporter asked Trump if he would be open to Elon Musk buying TikTok.
The president said yes, but also suggested that Ellison’s company, Oracle, purchase the network.
“I would be open if (Elon Musk) bought it. But I would like Larry to buy it as well. I have the right to make a deal. So, Larry, the deal I have in mind is this, let’s negotiate it in front of the media. I am saying that the United States should authorize TikTok not to be shut down, but to take half of the platform. I think it’s reasonable. What do you think?” Trump stated.
Ellison responded, “It seems like a good deal, Mr. President.”
Among the first executive orders Trump signed on Monday was to delay the TikTok ban in the U.S. by 75 days, giving ByteDance, the Chinese company behind TikTok, time to find an American buyer.
“TikTok is special to me, it hasn’t been like that before. After I joined the platform, I gained the support of young voters, 36 percent of them,” said Trump.
The executive order marked a significant change for ByteDance, which owns the TikTok platform and has nearly 170 million American users.
Over the weekend, the platform was briefly shut down after the Supreme Court upheld a law that would ban TikTok in the U.S. unless it was sold, due to national security concerns.
However, things changed after Trump signaled his support for delaying the app’s ban.
TikTok’s CEO, Shou Chew, who was invited to Trump’s inauguration, thanked him in a video on Friday.
But some legal experts say the delay signed by Trump might not protect companies like Oracle from allowing TikTok to operate, as the law banning TikTok, passed by Congress, remains in effect.
Trump’s executive order marks a shift in stance from his first term, where he supported banning TikTok over concerns that the platform could share American user data with the Chinese government, reports VOA.
