Trump appoints VP JD Vance to oversee TikTok negotiations as US ownership talks intensify – SiliconANGLE

U.S. President Donald Trump has reportedly tapped Vice President JD Vance to oversee negotiations on a deal that could save the operations of TikTok in the U.S., as more tech companies have reportedly taken an interest in acquiring the U.S. operations of the company.

TikTok, owned by ByteDance Ltd., has been in a somewhat legal limbo since being banned in the U.S. on Jan. 19 following the implementation of the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act. While the company was granted a reprieve of sorts by President Trump via an executive order that at least allows TikTok to continue operating in the U.S. for the time being, the TikTok app remains banned from major app stores due to the legal uncertainties of the executive order.

Under the Act, TikTok was legally obliged to sell its operations in the U.S. to remain available in the U.S., which is currently what’s on the table, with the Wall Street Journal reporting that suitors so far include Oracle Corp., Microsoft Corp. and Amazon.com Inc. The same report also claims that TikTok and its backers are also pushing for a solution that might forgo a sale in favor of a plan that would wall off American users’ data.

TikTik Chief Executive Officer Shou Chew reportedly met with senior White House Officials to pitch the idea of a joint venture with U.S. investors. The venture would be headquartered in the U.S., majority American-controlled and would oversee data security — data being sent to China being the main concern that led to the current situation.

The deal being put forward by Chew is not dissimilar to a proposal put forward in 2020 that would have seen Oracle and Walmart Inc. controlling the U.S. side of the business, including the data, while still working with TikTok’s owner ByteDance on other matters.

The latest reports of potential buyers come as TikTok is now allowing Android users to sideload the TikTok app, since it remains unavailable in the Google Play store. TikTok users in the U.S. can now install TikTok or TikTok Lite directly from the TikTok website. The ability to sideload apps is not being extended to iPhone users, as iOS does not natively allow its users to load their own apps from third-party sites or app stores, except in the European Union.

While speculation continues as to who might buy or partner with the U.S. operations of TikTok, one person who can be struck from the list is Elon Musk.

Musk, who has gained much attention since the new administration took office due to his role overseeing the Department of Government Efficiency agency, said in an interview recorded in late January but only recently released that he’s not interested.

“I have not put in a bid for TikTok,” Musk said in the interview. “I don’t have any plans for what I would do if I had TikTok…. I’m not chomping at the bit to acquire TikTok, I do not acquire companies in general, it’s quite rare.” Musk had previously been linked to TikTok as a potential suitor after President Trump said on Jan. 22 that he was open to Musk buying TikTok if he wanted to do so.

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