Four US Groups Seeking to Buy TikTok, Trump Says

Four different groups are seeking to take over TikTok, the social media giant owned by China’s Bytedance, according to US President Donald Trump.

Trump said his administration is in contact with the different groups about the sale of the social media platform, and described all the options as good.

The fate of TikTok’s American unit has been up in the air since a law requiring its owner ByteDance to either sell it on national security grounds or face a ban took effect on January 19.

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Trump, after taking office on January 20, signed an executive order seeking to delay by 75 days the enforcement of the law.

Asked if there was going to soon be a deal on TikTok, Trump told reporters aboard the Air Force One, “it could”.

“We’re dealing with four different groups, and a lot of people want it … all four are good,” he said on Sunday.

TikTok and ByteDance did not immediately respond to Reuters’ requests for comment outside of normal business hours.

The turmoil at TikTok has attracted several potential buyers, including former Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt, who have expressed interest in the fast-growing business, which analysts estimate could be worth as much as $50 billion.

Other potential buyers reportedly include Amazon, Oracle and Microsoft, and the YouTube star MrBeast, (real name Jimmy Donaldson) who is the highest-earning creator on the Internet.

Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian – an investor married to tennis star Serena Williams – is said to have joined a bid by McCourt’s internet advocacy organization, Project Liberty. The consortium says it is “the People’s Bid for TikTok.”