US President Donald Trump said on January 25 that he was in talks with interested parties about buying TikTok and would likely make a decision on the platform within the next 30 days.
Reuters reports this.
«I've talked to a lot of people about TikTok, and there's a lot of interest in TikTok», – Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One during a flight to Florida.
Previously, there was discussion of a deal with Oracle. According to the publication, the agreement would provide that the Chinese owner of TikTok – ByteDance will retain a stake in the company, but data collection and software updates will be controlled by Oracle, which already is the backbone of the platform's web infrastructure.
In a conversation with reporters, Trump said that he had not spoken to Oracle founder Larry Ellison about TikTok.
When asked if he would make a deal with Oracle and other investors to save TikTok, Trump replied: «No, not with Oracle. A lot of people are talking to me, very important people, about buying it, and I will make that decision, probably later. The next 30 days. If we can save TikTok, that would be great».
According to a source Reuters, the terms of any potential deal with Oracle were fluid and likely changed. One source said the full extent of the discussions has not yet been determined.
The publication writes that NPR radio station, citing its sources, reported that representatives of Oracle and the White House held a meeting on Friday about a potential deal, and another meeting is scheduled for next week.
In addition to Oracle, TikTok is claimed by the investor group of billionaire Frank McCourt, as well as Jimmy Donaldson, better known as YouTube star Mr. Beast.