Trump grants TikTok another reprieve in US
President Trump granted TikTok a reprieve in the US until December 16 as a deal with China is negotiated, with Oracle and US investors set to control most of the new US subsidiary amid ongoing national security concerns.
- Tech
- DPA
- Published Date: 08:36 | 17 September 2025
President Donald Trump is granting Chinese short video app TikTok yet another reprieve in the United States, the White House announced on Tuesday.
Despite a US law mandating its shutdown, TikTok is to remain available at least until December 16.
The US government stated this week that there is a "framework" for a TikTok deal with China, where the current owner, ByteDance, is headquartered.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping would seal the agreement during a conversation on Friday.
However, US broadcaster CNBC reported on Tuesday that it could take another 30 to 45 days to close the deal. The software company Oracle, owned by Trump supporter Larry Ellison, would keep its role as TikTok's technical service provider in the US, the report said.
US investors such as Oracle and investment firms Silver Lake and Andreessen Horowitz are to receive 80% of a new US subsidiary of TikTok after the agreement, the Wall Street Journal reported. The rest is to remain with Chinese shareholders.
Meanwhile, the Financial Times reported that Beijing said the US spin-off of TikTok would continue to use ByteDance's Chinese algorithm, which determines which videos are shown to users next.
Critics in the US see a risk that the software could allow the government to influence public opinion. TikTok and ByteDance reject this.
US law stipulates that neither the Chinese government nor ByteDance may have control over the algorithm.
In the US, ByteDance - and thus also TikTok - are seen as Chinese companies. ByteDance counters that the company is 60% owned by international investors and is based in the Cayman Islands.