Chennai: Though US President Donald Trump said his administration is considering to ban the popular Chinese-owned video app TikTok, a report said Microsoft is in advanced talks to acquire TikTok’s US operations.
The Wall Street Journal on Friday night reported that Microsoft, headed by Indian-American Satya Nadella, is in advanced talks to acquire the US operations of TikTok. The deal could run into billions of dollars.
“A deal could be completed by Monday, according to people familiar with the matter, and the talks involve representatives from Microsoft, ByteDance and the White House. Talks are fluid, and a deal may not come together,” it reported.
“We’re looking at TikTok. We may be banning TikTok,” Trump recently told reporters at the White House. India has banned as many as 106 Chinese apps, including TikTok, a move welcomed by both the administration and the lawmakers.
In response to a question, Trump said, “We may be doing some other things. There are a couple of options. But a lot of things are happening, so we’ll see what happens. But we are looking at a lot of alternatives with respect to TikTok.”