US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said he was open to SpaceX CEO Elon Musk or Oracle Corporation chairman Larry Ellison purchasing half of the social media platform TikTok, in a partnership with the government, reported Bloomberg.
During an event with Ellison at the White House, Trump said, “I have the right to make a deal,” with regards to the potential sale of the video-sharing platform.
He outlined a plan under which a private individual could buy the application and share half of it with the US government in exchange for a permit to operate in the country.
TikTok was temporarily suspended over the weekend for 14 hours due to the US Supreme Court upholding a law banning the app, however, in an executive order signed on his first day in office, Trump extended the deadline for a sale by 75 days.
Trump, on Tuesday, indicated that if the sale were to go through he might download TikTok, and stated that the app had helped his campaign for the presidency as well.
“I think I’ll get it right now. By the way, again we won the young vote. I think I won it through TikTok, so I have a warm spot in my heart for TikTok,” he said.
The company that owns TikTok, ByteDance, has publicly refused to sell TikTok. However, considering the Supreme Court ruling on the ban, and the number of users in America, they might reconsider.
“You have an asset that has no value or has a trillion dollar value,” Trump said. “It all depends on whether or not the United States gives the permit," Trump said.
Potential buyers
While Elon Musk and Larry Ellison were Trump's pick, several other American investors and billionaire entrepreneurs have queued up to buy TikTok as well.
MrBeast, one of YouTube's most followed content creators, is part of a group of investors assembled by Jesse Tinsley, founder of Employer.com, who announced a bid to buy TikTok on Tuesday.
Other interested parties include former owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Frank McCourt, and “Shark Tank” investor Kevin O’Leary.
That prospect has potential bidders lining up. A group of American investors assembled by tech entrepreneur Jesse Tinsley that included MrBeast, the internet’s most-followed and highest-earning content creator, announced a bid earlier Tuesday.
Amazon has also been cited as a potential investor, reported Bloomberg.
Source: Hindustan Times
Bd-pratidin English/Fariha Nowshin Chinika
