It was reported yesterday that artificial intelligence startup Perplexity AI proposed a bid to create a new entity that will merge Perplexity with TikTok's US operations. The proposed benefit is that the US government could own a 50% stake in the new entity once it goes public. While discussions are ongoing, Microsoft has reportedly put forward its bid.
According to President Donald Trump, Microsoft is discussing the possibility of buying TikTok's US operations from ByteDance and keeping the app in the US. Trump said to reporters aboard Air Force One, "I would say yes. A lot of interest in TikTok. There’s great interest in TikTok."
Earlier in the day, Trump also addressed the Republican lawmakers in Florida, where he said, "We’ll see what happens. We’re going to have a lot of people bidding on it, and if we can save all that voice and all the jobs, and China won’t be involved, we don’t want China involved, but we’ll see what happens."
The statement aligns with Trump's earlier push for ByteDance to sell off TikTok's US arm. He warned that if the sale didn't happen, the app might face a ban in the US due to national security concerns. TikTok was banned for some time on January 19, after which it came back online after President Trump signed an executive order to save TikTok, essentially giving more time to the social media giant to find a potential buyer.
Users who did not delete the app can continue using it without issues. However, those who assumed TikTok's end and deleted it are facing challenges as TikTok is still not available on the Apple App Store or Google Play Store. Users are either trying different ways to access TikTok or are learning Mandarin to use its alternate, the RedNote app. There were also reports about Elon Musk buying TikTok, but that was just a rumor. Oracle was also speculated to be considering taking over TikTok's global operations.
Source: AFP via Barron's
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