In a unanimous ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court Friday upheld a law requiring ByteDance, TikTok’s Chinese parent company, to sell the app by January 19, 2025, citing national security concerns over data collection and links to China.
If ByteDance fails to divest, service providers like Apple and Google must block TikTok updates, effectively disabling the app. TikTok currently has 170 million U.S. users, with a sale potentially valued at $40–$50 billion, according to CFRA Research.
Despite Donald Trump’s public support for TikTok’s continued operation, congressional Republicans remain largely unsympathetic.
TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew’s expected attendance at President-elect Trump’s inaugural address highlights his outreach efforts, though TikTok rivals Meta and YouTube stand to gain substantially if the app is banned.
Expect a chilly atmosphere in the reviewing stand as Trump adviser Elon Musk, Amazon.com Executive Chairman Jeff Bezos, Google CEO Sundar Pichai, Apple CEO Tim Cook and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman—as well as Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of TikTok rival Meta Platforms all jostle for the snacks and cocoa.
YouTube personality MrBeast has hinted at exploring a TikTok acquisition, backed by billionaire investors, following a tweet expressing interest in purchasing the platform.
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