US President Donald Trump informed reporters on Monday that Microsoft is currently engaged in discussions to purchase TikTok, expressing his desire for competitive bidding over the application.
Microsoft has chosen not to comment on the matter. Meanwhile, TikTok and its parent company, ByteDance, did not provide an immediate response to requests for comment from Reuters outside of regular business hours.
TikTok, which boasts approximately 170 million users in the United States, was momentarily taken offline prior to the implementation of a law on January 19 that mandated its Chinese parent company ByteDance either sell the platform on national security grounds or face a potential ban.
After taking office on January 20, Trump signed an executive order that sought to postpone the enforcement of this law by 75 days.
Last week, Trump indicated that he was engaged in conversations with several individuals regarding the purchase of TikTok, suggesting a decision on the app’s future could be made within 30 days.
The President has previously mentioned that he would be open to billionaire Elon Musk purchasing the social media platform, should the Tesla CEO express interest. Musk, however, has not publicly addressed Trump’s suggestion.
Additionally, the AI startup Perplexity AI proposed a merger with TikTok on Sunday, with plans for the US government to potentially obtain up to half of the newly formed company, according to a source familiar with the matter.
This development marks the second occasion on which Microsoft has been considered as a prospective buyer for TikTok.
During his initial term, Trump mandated that TikTok should sever its ties with ByteDance, citing concerns regarding national security.
Microsoft was a leading contender to acquire TikTok in 2020; however, those discussions quickly fell through, and the push for divestment dissipated a few months later after Trump exited office.
CEO Satya Nadella described that particular deal as the “strangest thing I’ve ever worked on,” adding that the U.S. government had a “particular set of requirements” which ultimately “just disappeared,” as he explained in 2021.
© Thomson Reuters 2025
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