Other potential buyers include "The People's Bid for TikTok," involving Kevin O’Leary, Frank McCourt, and Tim Berners-Lee, as well as YouTube star MrBeast, who has expressed interest in buying the platform. Oracle is reportedly in discussions with the Trump Administration, while Microsoft has been named as a potential buyer but has not commented. Elon Musk has been mentioned by Trump and the Chinese government as a possible bidder, though he has not shown interest. The U.S. government could own up to half of the platform if it IPOs at a valuation of at least $300 billion, aligning with Trump's proposal to retain significant U.S. ownership.
Key takeaways:
- President Trump is considering a joint venture to keep TikTok operational in the U.S., with the government potentially owning up to 50% of the new entity.
- Perplexity AI has revised its offer for TikTok, proposing a merger that excludes TikTok's proprietary recommendation algorithm and involves new third-party capital.
- Various entities, including "The People's Bid for TikTok" and MrBeast, have expressed interest in acquiring TikTok's U.S. operations.
- Oracle and Microsoft have been mentioned as potential buyers, while Elon Musk has been named but has not shown interest in bidding.