Future of TikTok in US Unclear as Sale Deadlines Shift and Bidders Wait

The future of TikTok in the United States remains unsettled as the latest deadline for a sale of the app’s US operations approaches and key stakeholders wait for clarity from Washington and Beijing.

According to the article, the US government has repeatedly pushed back the date by which TikTok’s Chinese owner, ByteDance, must either sell the app’s American business or face a block for US users. President Donald Trump initially set a deadline of 16 December, then extended it to 23 January 2026 through a new executive order.

Frank McCourt, a billionaire investor who wants to buy TikTok’s US operations, told the BBC he is effectively on hold. “We’re just standing by and waiting to see what happens,” he said, adding that if a sale window opens, his group is “prepared to move forward” and has “raised the capital to buy it.” McCourt is part of an investor group that includes Reddit co founder Alexis Ohanian and Canadian investor Kevin O’Leary.

The latest tension stems from a law passed by Congress in 2024 that requires ByteDance to sell TikTok’s US operations or see the app banned in the country. Lawmakers argued that ByteDance’s ties to the Chinese government posed a national security risk, and raised concerns that Beijing could compel the company to hand over data on American users. TikTok and ByteDance have consistently rejected those claims and said the concerns are unfounded.

The law was signed by President Joe Biden while he was still in office and was later upheld by the US Supreme Court in early 2025, according to the article. That legal backdrop has given the executive branch authority to set and reset deadlines for a forced sale or ban.

Trump and members of his administration have previously claimed that a deal to keep TikTok operating in the United States was effectively done and even had the blessing of Chinese President Xi Jinping. The article notes that Trump has said “sophisticated” US investors would be involved in acquiring the app, including two of his allies, Oracle chairman Larry Ellison and Dell Technologies founder Michael Dell.

Officials in the Trump administration had signaled that the TikTok deal would be formalized during a meeting between Trump and Xi in October. However, that meeting ended without any agreement on a sale being reached. Since then, neither ByteDance nor the Chinese government has publicly announced approval of any transaction, despite Trump’s earlier statements.

When Trump signed his most recent executive order moving the compliance deadline into January, he said in an online post that the extension would lead to a deal being completed. The article does not report any formal confirmation of a completed sale.

McCourt, whose own bid is not among the group of Trump aligned investors, raised concerns about the potential concentration of power if TikTok ends up controlled by a small circle of politically connected buyers. Without naming any individuals, he told the BBC he was worried “about a concentration of power and influence because platforms like TikTok are very influencing.”

He said his “hope would be that whatever happens, that it is shut down or sold, and lands in the hands of people that comply with the law.” McCourt’s comments underscore broader concerns in US policy circles and the tech industry about who should control a platform that shapes what hundreds of millions of users see and share.

McCourt also outlined a different vision for how TikTok could operate in the United States if his group were successful. He said he wants to run TikTok without any of its existing Chinese technology, including the app’s powerful recommendation algorithm, which has been central to its growth. According to the article, McCourt said his Project Liberty initiative has developed alternative technology that could be used in place of TikTok’s current systems.

Reporting referenced in the piece notes that, under a Trump backed framework, TikTok’s algorithm would be retrained on US user data as part of a potential deal, although those plans have not been finalized or publicly endorsed by ByteDance or Chinese regulators. The details of how data and algorithms would be handled remain a core sticking point in negotiations.

For now, the situation leaves investors, creators, and users in a holding pattern. The article describes McCourt’s group as ready with capital and a plan to operate TikTok in a way they say would meet US legal and security expectations, but unable to move without a clear signal from both Washington and Beijing.

The Chinese government’s approval is crucial because Chinese authorities have rules that can restrict the export of sensitive technologies, which many analysts believe would include TikTok’s core recommendation engine. The article notes that despite Trump’s public claims of progress and support from Xi, there has been no formal approval announced by ByteDance or Beijing.

The repeated deadline extensions also raise questions for US based TikTok creators, advertisers, and tech workers, including those in the Bay Area where TikTok, ByteDance, and competing platforms all have a significant presence. The uncertainty complicates decisions about hiring, marketing budgets, and where to focus investments in short form video content and advertising.

The piece does not provide specific timelines beyond the current 23 January 2026 deadline set by Trump’s latest order. It also does not spell out what immediate enforcement steps the US government will take if that date passes without a sale or how a ban would be implemented in practice.

As things stand, the article portrays a process stuck between public political statements, ongoing legal authority to force a divestiture, and the lack of a signed and approved deal. Investors like McCourt say they are ready, Trump has asserted that a deal is effectively in place, and US law on the books supports a forced sale, yet TikTok’s ownership and long term status for US users remain unresolved.

Until there is a clear decision from US regulators and Chinese authorities, the prospects for any TikTok deal in the United States will remain uncertain, and companies, investors, and users will have to operate under the shadow of a potential ban or ownership shakeup.