Investors Sign Takeover of TikTok in the US

ByteDance signed binding deals with investors led by Oracle to transfer control of its TikTok US operations. The move was designed to help it avoid a ban in the US.

Investors, including Oracle, private equity Silver Lake, and Abu Dhabi investment company MGX, will take an 80.1% stake in a new TikTok USDS joint venture, while ByteDance will retain 19.9%. The transactions are expected to close on 22 January 2026. Should the deals close, TikTok will operate as an independent US joint venture, controlling data, content moderation, and algorithm security. It will be governed by a new seven-member US majority board of directors.

The deal is significant, potentially ending years of uncertainty around the future of TikTok in the US. President Donald Trump first began a campaign to have the social media app banned in 2020 due to security concerns, given its Chinese ownership. In September this year, Trump signed an executive order to split off TikTok from ByteDance, allowing US investors to hold a majority stake in the new entity. Chinese regulators have, however, not confirmed they will sign off on the deals.