TikTok Strikes Deal to Stay in U.S. with Major Ownership Restructure

After years of legal wrangling, national security concerns, and bipartisan calls for an outright ban, TikTok has finally struck a deal that will allow it to remain active in the United States but under very different terms. Thanks to a Trump-era strategy of pressure and negotiation, Chinese tech giant ByteDance has been forced to surrender majority control of the U.S. version of the app to international and crucially, American investors.

The six-year campaign to force TikTok’s hand began under President Trump, who consistently warned about the platform’s links to the Chinese Communist Party and the risk it posed to Americans' data and national security. Congress responded with legislation aimed at a full ban, but Trump made the strategic choice to delay the implementation of that ban to allow time for a deal, aiming to break up ByteDance's ownership and secure American interests.

Now, it’s official TikTok’s U.S. operations will fall under a new ownership structure that dramatically reduces China's influence:

• 80% of the U.S. version of TikTok will now be owned by international investors, including major American firms.

• ByteDance’s stake will shrink to just 19.9%, stripping Beijing of majority control.

• Oracle will manage all U.S. user data, overseeing cybersecurity, content moderation, and data integrity.

This is no small shift. Oracle, along with Silver Lake and Emirati firm MGX, will each hold 15% of the U.S. platform effectively forming a firewall between Chinese interests and the personal data of over 150 million American users. Other investors include the Dell Family Office, Susquehanna International Group, Alpha Wave Partners, General Atlantic, and NJJ Capital, among others.

In their joint statement, the new ownership consortium pledged to uphold “robust trust and safety policies,” implement “comprehensive data privacy and cybersecurity measures,” and ensure third-party audits and transparency reporting critical components for public trust after years of fears surrounding Chinese surveillance and influence.

This deal never would have happened without President Trump’s hardline stance. While Democrats waffled or placated Big Tech, Trump saw TikTok for what it was a Trojan horse for Chinese data mining. His decision to apply pressure, rather than accept the illusion of security, forced ByteDance into a corner and ultimately delivered a win for American sovereignty.

Back in 2019, TikTok's defenders dismissed concerns about data theft and manipulation as conspiracy theories. But now, even with Biden in office, the Trump-led pressure campaign has borne fruit. The result is a platform still available to creators and influencers, but under conditions that prioritize American national interests over Beijing’s digital ambitions.

The TikTok saga is a reminder that real leadership requires more than press releases it takes action, backbone, and the willingness to say no to foreign adversaries. Trump delivered. And once again, America comes out stronger because of it.

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