President Trump has signed an executive order to clear the way for a US version of TikTok, valued at $14 billion. This deal aims to help the app comply with a federal law that banned it in the US due to concerns over China’s access to sensitive data and propaganda.
The administration has been working on finding non-Chinese investors for the US version of TikTok, which Vice President JD Vance said would be controlled by a coalition of investors. Oracle, Larry Ellison’s software giant, will take a stake in the US TikTok company. Other powerful allies of Mr. Trump, including Rupert Murdoch and Michael Dell, are also involved.
The deal has been questioned by some lawmakers, who worry that China could still exert control over the new app even if it meets the 20% foreign ownership threshold. Critics argue that monitoring algorithms is not the same as controlling them, and that this deal may be a “head fake” to assuage concerns.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/25/technology/trump-tiktok-ban-deal.html