Who Might Buy TikTok (And Why)? Trump Hints At High-Profile Interest

While we've heard talk of a TikTok ban countless, countless times, the app went completely dark in the United States just hours before the law banning it, confimed by the Supreme Court, was set to take effect. TikTok, owned by the Chinese company Bytedance, was removed from both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store, and users attempting to open the app were greeted with a "Sorry, TikTok isn't available right now" pop-up. The message explained that a law banning the app had been enacted, but the company remained optimistic that TikTok would return soon, as incoming President Donald Trump had promised to cooperate with it to reinstate the app once he took office.

The ban lasted for roughly 12 hours, and soon users were met with another pop-up thanking Trump for his efforts. However, just because the president kept his promise, it doesn't mean the ban is lifted indefinitely. On his first day in office, President Trump issued an executive order giving TikTok 75 more days to sell the app. He also directed the Department of Justice to hold off on enforcing the law while his team figures out the best path forward. So the big question remains — who might end up being the new owner of TikTok?

Well-known figures including YouTube star MrBeast, "Shark Tank" investor Kevin O'Leary, former L.A. Dodgers owner Frank McCourt, former Activision CEO Bobby Kotick, Walmart CEO Doug McMillon, and Tesla CEO Elon Musk have expressed interest in acquiring the app. So has Microsoft. Perplexity AI, a U.S. search-engine startup, has offered to merge with TikTok.

Here's where it gets interesting. As Trump signed the executive order, he said that TikTok either would essentially be worthless if he didn't approve its continuing, or the ByteDance-owned app could be worth around a trillion dollars. He argued that the U.S. should be entitled to half of TikTok's value in exchange for letting it operate in the country. 

When reporters asked if a private-sector TikTok owner was a possibility, Trump said that "every rich person" had called him expressing interest in buying it, which makes sense since the app could offer an opportunity for massive financial returns. Trump also said that TikTok poses no national security concerns, since its primary audience is "young kids," so at most the Chinese government would gain information about young people.

Trump had previously cited national security as a reason for wanting to ban TikTok. When asked why his stance had changed, he replied, "I got to use it." Previously he has credited it helping him reach younger voters. He also said it's odd that people don't complain about other Chinese-made products, such as phones and military equipment.