Trump is looking for potential TikTok buyers – who are the potential contenders?

President Donald Trump wants a US investor to take a major stake in ByteDance’s TikTok. There are multiple parties in dispute even as potential buyers face a series of legal hurdles and barriers.

After entering TikTok restored in the US Delaying a law that would effectively ban the app, Trump is looking for ways to keep the popular platform afloat.

He put forward a proposal for a US stakeholder to buy the company and then sell a 50% stake to the US government, which would jointly manage the app with the private party.

So, who are the potential contenders for one of the most popular apps in the United States?

The richest person in the world leads the new Trump administration of government efficiency, has close business ties with China and has close business ties with China. She expressed her opposition To ban Tik Tok.

Bloomberg reported earlier this month that the Chinese government was considering a plan to have Musk take over TikTok’s U.S. operations, citing anonymous sources. This came after a report from The Wall Street Journal, which claimed that the TikTok CEO was Seek advice from Musk Before Trump’s inauguration.

CNBC was unable to reach Musk for comment.

“Elon Musk remains front and center as a potential bidder for TikTok which would likely include some outside technology partners/investors to complete the deal,” Wedbush said in a research note on Wednesday.

“Musk will be chosen by Beijing, and his strong relationship with Trump will make this a very logical choice in our view,” the memo added.

Nat Schindler, an analyst at Scotiabank, also noted that Musk’s acquisition of Twitter demonstrated his interest in global social media platforms. However, he also sees some potential hurdles for the tech mogul.

“Musk is already under fire for owning X and the perception that he is using it to promote certain political ideas, and any involvement with TikTok could spark additional criticism and possibly antitrust scrutiny,” Schindler said.

Trump also said he would “love” to see oracle president Larry Ellison purchased the platform.

Ellison, Longtime Trump supporter, I stood next to President V press conference attic Investing in artificial intelligence infrastructure plans on Tuesday, as Trump was asked questions about a potential TikTok deal.

“What I think about saying to somebody is, ‘Buy it, give half to the United States of America. Half and we’ll give you the pass,'” Trump said before turning to Ellison to ask if the deal seemed reasonable.

“Sounds like a good deal to me, Mr. President,” Ellison replied.

Ellison and his company are currently at the center of TikTok’s dilemma, acting as a cloud infrastructure provider for ByteDance in the US.

Given its existing relationship with TikTok, Oracle is “directly invested in TikTok’s success in the region,” Scotiabank’s Schindler said.

Ellison has made an offer to buy Tiktok, along with… Walmartback in 2020 when Trump first pushed for a ban on the platform. Neither company responded to CNBC’s request for comment.

Trump had consent From the Walmart-Oracle deal in principle, which would have seen the tech and retail giants partner to acquire the video-sharing app in the US, avoiding closure. However, the Trump administration’s attempt to ban TikTok in the United States failed in the face of legal challenges.

Ellison later Join a group of investors Which helped Elon Musk buy the social media platform Twitter, now known as X, in 2022.

“(We believe) Oracle/Ellison could play a pivotal role in any deal given its key technology partnership with TikTok and its appearance in the White House with Project Stargate,” Wedbush said.

Wedbush added that it expects a large number of TikTok offers over the coming weeks to come from a group of players led by Musk and Ellison.

He added that potential suitors are likely to include some of America’s largest social media and technology players, e.g dead and GoogleIn addition to Musk’s X.

Meta and Google did not immediately respond to CNBC’s inquiry.

However, Sarah Krebs, director of Cornell University’s Technology Policy Institute, warned that players like Meta, Google and Musk taking a large stake in TikTok could raise antitrust questions.

There are also a number of other players, including existing investors, noted Nat Schindler, an analyst at Scotiabank. Black RockKuato, and General Atlantic, who own hunk From the parent company of TikTok. According to him, some of these investors are likely to participate in any sale of the American platform by investing in the new entity.

“Other large venture capital firms, hedge funds and asset managers, from Tiger to Fidelity, are also likely to show interest in a fast-growing global platform with such a huge viewer base,” Schindler said, adding that finding investors to own part of TikTok would not be possible. He succeeds. be a problem.

In one video, the internet personality claimed he did just that Formal offer readyjoking that he might be the new CEO of TikTok.

Media reports We also reported that Donaldson and a group of investors are preparing to make a bid for TikTok.

On Thursday, Matthew Hiltzik, a spokesman for Donaldson, told CNBC that “several potential buyers are in ongoing discussions with Jimmy, but he does not have exclusive agreements with any of them.”

O’Leary told CNBC last year that he wanted to Buy the platform at a discount Because any potential deal wouldn’t involve TikTok’s original algorithm. The organization said it already has an alternative to the algorithm for use on TikTok US

And after Trump’s statements regarding a 50% stake in the platform, both McCourt and O’Leary They told CNBC this week that they are interested in a TikTok deal and hope to work with Trump to make it happen.

McCourt also told CNBC that he wants TikTok to operate a decentralized social networking protocol, or DSNP, overseen by the Project Liberty Institute, a nonprofit founded by the billionaire.

Regardless of the benefit, a number of legal and technical experts told CNBC that Trump’s executive order postponing the TikTok ban contradicts the Supreme Court’s previous decision. Ruling in support of PAFACA He could face legal opposition.

O’Leary also told CNBC on Monday that a TikTok deal couldn’t happen Under current lawafter the Supreme Court upheld the impending ban on TikTok under a law Protecting Americans from Foreign Controlled Applications Actor PAFACA, on Sunday.

Beijing and its pending negotiations with Trump over trade with the US are also expected to play a deciding factor in whether the Chinese government will allow ByteDance to divest.

“In this high-stakes poker game between the Trump administration and Beijing, TikTok is clearly a big chip on the table,” Widoch said.