"President Donald Trump said Monday evening that Microsoft is among the U.S. companies looking to take control of TikTok to help the popular app avert an effective ban that could kick-in in April.
“I would say yes,” Trump told reporters when asked if Microsoft was one of the companies interested in helping to bring about a new ownership of TikTok, a requirement set by Congress to keep the app functioning in the U.S.
Microsoft declined to comment. Representatives for TikTok did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In one of his first acts in office last week, Trump extended the deadline for TikTok to find new ownership that satisfies the government by 75 days, to April 4 from January 19.
The president has said that he’s looking for the ultimate purchaser to give the U.S. a 50% stake in the company, which is owned by China-based ByteDance. But the details remain murky, and its unclear whether he's proposing control of the app by the government or another U.S. entity.
Last week, the artificial intelligence startup Perplexity AI presented a new proposal to ByteDance that would allow the U.S. government to own up to 50% of a new entity that merges Perplexity with TikTok’s U.S. business, according to a person familiar with the matter.
Several other investors — including billionaire Frank McCourt and Trump's former Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin — have spoken publicly about their desire to purchase TikTok's U.S. platform. Trump has also said he’s spoken to “many people” privately about the company."
AfricaNews
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