google.com, pub-6867310892380113, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 ** **
TikTok owner ByteDance signs binding deal to create U.S. joint venture                 U.S                 Afghanistan                 Iran                 International                                
TikTok owner ByteDance signs binding deal to create U.S. joint venture
TikTok owner ByteDance signs binding deal to create U.S. joint venture
The deal will lead to the U.S. version of TikTok`s being owned by a majority-American group of investors.
2025/12/19-03:35

TikTok owner ByteDance signs binding deal to create U.S. joint venture

TikTok CEO Shou Chew told employees of the social media app Thursday that its owner, China`s ByteDance, has signed binding agreements to create a joint venture for the app in the United States, as agreed to in a deal with the Trump administration.

That deal means the U.S. version of TikTok will become majority-owned by American investors, according to a memo obtained by NBC News.

The investors include American tech giant Oracle, the California-based private equity fund Silver Lake and the United Arab Emirates investment firm MGX.

Silver Lake and MGX did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Spokespeople for the White House and the Treasury Department likewise did not reply to requests for comment on the deal.

Oracle declined to comment but shares of the company jumped more than 5% in after-hours trading.

An employee who received the memo said that the internal reaction to the news was generally positive among TikTok`s American staff but that most of their colleagues in Asia and Europe had not yet seen the memo or had not yet weighed in on it if they had.

As part of the deal, TikTok U.S. will also be overseen by a "new seven-member majority-American board of directors," Chew said.

"The U.S. joint venture will be responsible for U.S. data protection, algorithm security, content moderation, and software assurance," Chew wrote in his memo. "It will also have the exclusive right and authority to provide assurances that content, software, and data for American users is secure."

In September, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng reached a "framework" deal to clear the way for American investors to take control of the U.S. version of the app.

TikTok`s legal saga in the United States stems from concerns shared by members of Congress across parties and by the intelligence community that ByteDance`s complicated relationship with the Chinese government poses a national security threat to the United States.

Millions of people in the U.S. post videos on TikTok every day, effectively giving the app and its owners access to much more information about people`s daily lives than many users realize.

The concerns about the data TikTok collects and how it could be used were the chief drivers behind U.S. lawmakers` decision to take action to curb TikTok in 2024.

Under a bipartisan law passed by Congress, ByteDance was required to divest majority ownership of the U.S. version of the app or face a ban initially set to go into effect in January 2024.

In January, as Donald Trump was preparing to return to office as president, the Supreme Court upheld the law. It rejected TikTok`s argument that an outright ban would violate free speech protections.

On Jan. 18, TikTok went offline for U.S. users for about 24 hours, causing an uproar among its millions of loyal fans and influential content creators.

Then Trump announced that he would delay the ban through an executive order as soon as he was sworn in.

That assurance was enough to persuade TikTok to begin restoring service just a day before Trump`s inauguration.

The Trump administration repeatedly delayed implementing the law, however, until it could hammer out the contours of an agreement with China. Trump ordered that "the Attorney General shall not take any action on behalf of the United States to enforce the Act for 120 days."

That latest timeline ends Jan. 23. In the memo Thursday, Chew said the agreement will close one day before the deadline.

Oracle, one of the largest investors in the joint venture, is controlled by tech billionaire Larry Ellison. His son, David, recently acquired Paramount Global with approval from the Trump administration. David Ellison is now seeking to buy Warner Bros. Discovery via a hostile bid for more than $108 billion.

Oracle has been a darling of the artificial intelligence boom, ballooning Larry Ellison`s fortune to more than $230 billion, according to Bloomberg Billionaires.

The formally signed agreement is the latest sign of a slow thaw underway in the U.S.-China bilateral relationship.

Initially, little progress was made despite multiple meetings between Bessent and his Chinese counterparts.

But after Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping met in October, Beijing has resumed buying American soybeans and eased export controls on critical minerals.

Now, it appears, the TikTok deal will finally get over the finish line, as well.

 

 

#US                # USA                 # United States                # TikTok                # China               
TikTok owner ByteDance signs binding deal to create U.S. joint venture
TikTok owner ByteDance signs binding deal to create U.S. joint venture
American AI
California launches investigation into xAI and Grok over sexualized AI images
TikTok owner ByteDance signs binding deal to create U.S. joint venture
American AI
International pressure builds on X and Musk over Grok deepfakes of women and children
TikTok owner ByteDance signs binding deal to create U.S. joint venture
WhatsApp
Former Trump adviser Dina Powell McCormick joins Meta as president and vice chairman
TikTok owner ByteDance signs binding deal to create U.S. joint venture
American AI
Senators urged Apple and Google to remove Musk’s X and Grok from app stores over sexual deepfakes
TikTok owner ByteDance signs binding deal to create U.S. joint venture
American AI
Elon Musk`s X limits some sexual deepfakes after backlash, but Grok will still make the images
TikTok owner ByteDance signs binding deal to create U.S. joint venture
space
NASA to bring astronauts home from space station early due to a medical issue
TikTok owner ByteDance signs binding deal to create U.S. joint venture
American AI
Dark web users cite Grok as tool for making `criminal imagery` of kids, UK watchdog says
TikTok owner ByteDance signs binding deal to create U.S. joint venture
American AI
The mother of one of Elon Musk`s children says his AI bot won`t stop creating sexualized images of her
TikTok owner ByteDance signs binding deal to create U.S. joint venture
Tech
Hyundai and Boston Dynamics unveil humanoid robot Atlas at CES
TikTok owner ByteDance signs binding deal to create U.S. joint venture
OpenAI
OpenAI says it`s hiring a head safety executive to mitigate AI risks
TikTok owner ByteDance signs binding deal to create U.S. joint venture
iran space activities
Iran launches three remote sensing satellites on Russian Soyuz rocket
TikTok owner ByteDance signs binding deal to create U.S. joint venture
AI
An AI pioneer says the technology is `limited` and won`t replace humans anytime soon
TikTok owner ByteDance signs binding deal to create U.S. joint venture
Satellite
Iran plans launch of its heaviest ever satellite on Dec 28
TikTok owner ByteDance signs binding deal to create U.S. joint venture
Tech
Top tech gadgets of 2025
TikTok owner ByteDance signs binding deal to create U.S. joint venture
Michaela Benthaus
Paraplegic engineer becomes first wheelchair user to float in space
TikTok owner ByteDance signs binding deal to create U.S. joint venture
NASA
NASA`s new leader makes his priorities clear on day one
TikTok owner ByteDance signs binding deal to create U.S. joint venture
AI
AI Could Interview You for Your Next Job. Here’s What You Need to Know
TikTok owner ByteDance signs binding deal to create U.S. joint venture
TikTok owner ByteDance signs binding deal to create U.S. joint venture
U.S
Afghanistan
Iran
International
Social
Economic
Articles
Athletic
Read
Science
Medical
Interview
Art and Culture
Travel
TikTok owner ByteDance signs binding deal to create U.S. joint venture
TikTok owner ByteDance signs binding deal to create U.S. joint venture
TikTok owner ByteDance signs binding deal to create U.S. joint venture
TikTok owner ByteDance signs binding deal to create U.S. joint venture
TikTok owner ByteDance signs binding deal to create U.S. joint venture
          
@ 2025 Ansar Press
TikTok owner ByteDance signs binding deal to create U.S. joint venture