TikTok Nears $50B U.S.-China Deal to Preserve U.S. Operations

TikTok, the ByteDance-owned short-video platform, is finalizing a landmark agreement that WOULD transfer majority control to U.S. investors while preserving its operations stateside. The proposed entity—valued at up to $50 billion—would house TikTok's 172 million American users and replicate its core algorithm domestically, severing direct ties to Beijing.

Washington and Beijing have reached a preliminary framework after years of geopolitical tensions over the app's data practices. The deal's linchpin involves reconstructing TikTok's recommendation engine—the so-called 'secret sauce'—by U.S. engineers to ensure operational independence. Susquehanna International's Jeff Yass and General Atlantic's Bill Ford are among the investors poised to take controlling stakes.

Former President Donald Trump, who previously sought to ban the platform, recently endorsed the negotiations via social media, claiming discussions with Chinese President Xi Jinping progressed 'very well' and predicting American youth would approve the outcome.