In September, President Donald Trump issued an executive order that appeared to lock in key elements of a plan to separate TikTok's American operations. Now, three months on, the arrangement seems even nearer to formalization.
Bloomberg reports that TikTok's chief executive, Shou Zi Chew, informed staff members that both TikTok and its parent company ByteDance have approved the pact governing oversight of the platform's US operations. The conditions reportedly align closely with those outlined by Trump earlier in the year, featuring a consortium of American investors—such as Oracle, Silver Lake, and MGX—holding the primary ownership in the resulting company, with ByteDance retaining a minority interest.
In his internal message, Chew indicated the transaction is slated to conclude on January 22, 2026. Following the completion, the American collaborative enterprise—established upon the existing TikTok US Data Security unit—will function autonomously, managing aspects like protection of US user information, safeguarding of algorithms, oversight of content, and verification of software integrity, per Bloomberg's account. TikTok has not yet replied to inquiries seeking verification.
The position of Chinese authorities regarding the arrangement remains uncertain. Trump stated in September that Beijing was entirely supportive, yet follow-up discussions have yielded only ambiguous declarations. During October, China's Ministry of Commerce expressed willingness to collaborate with Washington on addressing TikTok-related matters appropriately. Should the agreement be sealed as anticipated next month, it would mark precisely one year since Trump's initial executive order postponing enforcement of legislation mandating either a divestiture or prohibition of the application, with multiple further postponements issued in the interim.