US and China sign off on a deal to sell TikTok’s US business — Semafor portal
The deal will be finalized this week
NEW YORK, January 22. /TASS/. The United States and China have signed off on a deal to sell the U.S. branch of TikTok to a consortium of mostly US investors led by Oracle and Silver Lake, the Semafor portal reported, citing sources. The deal will be finalized this week.
As a result of the deal, Chinese company ByteDance will hold only a 20% stake in the branch, with Oracle, Silver Lake, and UAE-based MGX each holding a further 15%. Other investors include Susquehanna, Dragoneer, DFO, and the family office of Dell Chairman Michael Dell.
January 22 marks the closing date for the sale of TikTok's U.S. branch to a group of American investors. According to Chinese media, the social media platform's new joint venture will be responsible for data protection and media content moderation.
According to analytics firm Sensor Tower, TikTok became the most downloaded app in the U.S. in 2021 and 2022. TikTok is currently used by approximately 170 million Americans, representing roughly half the country's population.
About the deal
In September 2025, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order to approve the deal that puts the Chinese social network’s US operations under the control of American businesses. The document, published by the White House on its website, says that "TikTok’s US application would be operated by a new joint-venture company based in the United States." The company will be "operated in the US by a board of directors with national security and cybersecurity credentials, and subject to strict rules to protect Americans’ data and our national security."
In 2024, the administration of former American leader Joe Biden approved a law obliging TikTok to be sold or discontinued in the country by January 19, 2025. After his inauguration on January 20, 2025, Trump signed a decree postponing blocking the platform. Later, he extended this postponement, and in September, China and the United States came to an understanding on the upcoming deal.