TikTok considers non-sale options following short-lived US ban

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TikTok's parent company ByteDance is reportedly exploring options to keep TikTok alive in the United States (US) without selling the platform in the country.

The Chinese company is reportedly looking into a deal to ensure the social media giant complies with US legislation, said Bill Ford, General Atlantic chief executive officer and ByteDance board member yesterday at the World Economic Forum.

According to Bloomberg, Ford said the company is optimistic about finding a solution for the matter, noting that ByteDance has a number of alternatives to discuss with president Donald Trump that do not require the sale of TikTok, including a change of control.

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Ford added that a conversation between Trump and China's president Xi Jinping will lead to a positive solution.

Bidders have reportedly started circling TikTok, with Trump validating the idea of technology moguls, such as Elon Musk and Larry Ellison, making a deal with the US.

MARKETING-INTERACTIVE has reached out to ByteDance for more information.

Less than 24 hours after going dark last week, TikTok came back online. In a statement on X, the platform also thanked Donald Trump "for providing the necessary clarity and assurance to our service providers that they will face no penalties providing TikTok to over 170 million Americans and allowing over 7 million small businesses to thrive."

"It’s a strong stand for the First Amendment and against arbitrary censorship. We will work with president Trump on a long-term solution that keeps TikTok in the United States," TikTok added in its statement.

On 18 January, US users were shut out of TikTok, with the app displaying a message that its services were "temporarily unavailable", reported The Verge. However, the platform's services were restored on 19 January.

On 19 January, Trump took to Truth Social, an alternative social platform to X, to ask companies "not to let TikTok stay dark". The president-elect issued an executive order on Monday (20 Jan) to extend the period of time before the law's prohibitions take effect. " The order will also confirm that there will be no liability for any company that helped keep TikTok from going dark before my order. Americans deserve to see our exciting inauguration on Monday, as well as other events and conversations," said Trump.

Trump stated that he would like the United States to have 50% ownership in position in a joint venture in order to "save TikTok, keep it in good hands and allow it to stay up." He emphasised that without the US' approval, there would be no TikTok. However, with the nation's approval, the platform will be worth "hundreds of billions of dollars - maybe trillions."

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