If you’ve opened your phone lately, you’ve probably seen the headlines. It’s been a chaotic few years for everyone's favorite short-form video app. One day it’s getting banned, the next day it’s staying, and the next, a billionaire you’ve barely heard of is trying to buy it. Honestly, keeping up with the ownership of this app is a full-time job.
So, let's cut to the chase.
As of January 2026, the answer to who is the owner of TikTok now isn't as simple as a single name on a deed. It’s a messy, high-stakes split. For the first time since its inception, TikTok has been effectively "unbundled." The global parent company is still the tech giant ByteDance, but the version you’re likely using in the United States is now under a massive new structure called TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC.
The January 2026 Shift: Who Actually Controls the App?
For years, the U.S. government threw everything but the kitchen sink at ByteDance. They wanted a total sale. They wanted a ban. After a series of dramatic executive orders and a Supreme Court showdown that ended in early 2025, a "qualified divestiture" finally took place.
The deal, which officially closed on January 22, 2026, fundamentally changed the ownership landscape.
While ByteDance Ltd.—the Beijing-based company founded by Zhang Yiming—still exists and runs the global version of the app, the U.S. operations are now majority-owned by a group of American and international investors. Here is how the pie is sliced for the new U.S. entity:
✨ Don't miss: Cox Tech Support Business Needs: What Actually Happens When the Internet Quits
- Oracle, Silver Lake, and MGX (Abu Dhabi): These three heavy hitters each took a 15% stake, giving them a combined 45% of the new U.S. company.
- Existing ByteDance Investors: Institutional players like BlackRock, General Atlantic, and Susquehanna International Group (led by billionaire Jeff Yass) hold roughly 35%.
- ByteDance itself: The original parent company retained a minority stake of 19.9%.
It’s a weird middle ground. ByteDance gets to keep a foot in the door (and a share of the profits), but they no longer have the keys to the kingdom when it comes to American data or the algorithm.
Is ByteDance Still in Charge?
Kinda. But also, no.
If you live in London, Tokyo, or Jakarta, your TikTok is still 100% a ByteDance product. Liang Rubo, the CEO of ByteDance who took over after Zhang Yiming stepped down, still oversees the global empire. But in the U.S., the "For You" page you spend hours scrolling through is now managed by a board of seven people—six of whom are American national security and cybersecurity experts.
Shou Zi Chew remains the public face and CEO of TikTok. He’s the guy who famously sat through those grueling Congressional hearings. Even though he’s Singaporean and lives in Singapore, he’s the bridge between the original ByteDance vision and the new Americanized ownership structure.
The Algorithm "Retraining"
One of the wildest parts of the ownership change is what’s happening under the hood. Per the legal requirements of the 2024 "Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act," the new owners had to "retrain" the algorithm.
🔗 Read more: Canada Tariffs on US Goods Before Trump: What Most People Get Wrong
Essentially, Oracle is acting as the digital landlord. They aren't just hosting the data; they are auditing the code. They spent the better part of late 2025 ensuring that the recommendation engine—the secret sauce that makes TikTok so addictive—is physically separated from ByteDance’s Chinese servers.
Why Does This Even Matter to You?
You might be thinking, "Cool, some billionaires traded stocks. Can I still watch my favorite creators?"
The short answer is yes. The whole point of this $14 billion deal was to prevent the app from going dark in the U.S. during the 2025 shutdown threat. If the ownership hadn't shifted, Apple and Google would have been forced to pull the app from their stores.
But here is the catch: The TikTok you use now might start feeling different. Because the U.S. entity is now focused heavily on "national security" and "content moderation," the way videos are promoted could shift. The new owners have a legal obligation to ensure the feed is "free from outside manipulation." That’s code for: we’re watching the algorithm much more closely than ByteDance ever did.
The Shopping Twist
Interestingly, the deal left some "commercial activities" in a gray area. TikTok Shop, the e-commerce arm that has been blowing up lately, is still heavily influenced by ByteDance’s global infrastructure. The new U.S. owners get a cut of the profits, but the tech that powers the shopping experience still relies on the global ByteDance network.
💡 You might also like: Bank of America Orland Park IL: What Most People Get Wrong About Local Banking
The Key Players You Should Know
To really understand who is the owner of TikTok now, you have to look at the people behind the companies:
- Zhang Yiming: The founder of ByteDance. He’s now one of the richest people in the world, even though he stepped back from daily operations. He still holds significant voting power in the parent company.
- Larry Ellison: The co-founder of Oracle. He was a key player in the negotiations with the Trump administration. His company now holds the data—and the power—over TikTok's U.S. presence.
- Jeff Yass: A massive Republican donor and founder of Susquehanna. He’s been one of ByteDance’s biggest backers from the start and fought hard to keep the app alive (and his investment intact).
- The MGX Group: A tech investment firm from Abu Dhabi. Their inclusion shows that TikTok is no longer just a U.S.-vs-China issue; it’s a global asset with international interests.
What Most People Get Wrong About the "Sale"
A common misconception is that Microsoft or Walmart bought TikTok. You might remember those rumors from a few years back. They didn't. They both walked away when the deal got too political and messy.
Another big mistake? Thinking TikTok is now "An American Company."
It’s more like a hybrid. It’s a U.S.-based entity with a majority-American board, but it’s still tethered to a global network. It’s an "independent" company that still pays licensing fees to use the TikTok brand name and certain core technologies developed by ByteDance.
What Happens Next?
The saga isn't totally over. While the January 22, 2026, closing date provided a sigh of relief for creators and marketers, Congress is still breathing down their necks. There are already talks about whether this deal "actually" satisfies the law or if it's just a fancy corporate shell game.
For now, the app is safe. You don't need to migrate your account or worry about a sudden blackout. But the transparency reports coming out of the new TikTok USDS venture will be the real test. They’ll have to prove to the Department of Justice that they are truly independent.
Actionable Insights for Users and Creators:
- Backup Your Data: Even with new owners, the legal landscape for social media is volatile. Use the "Download your data" tool in settings once a quarter.
- Watch the Algorithm: If you’re a creator, pay attention to your analytics. A "retrained" algorithm means the old tricks for "going viral" might not work the same way they did in 2024.
- Security Settings: Check your privacy settings. The "U.S. Data Security" (USDS) toggle should be active for U.S. users, ensuring your data stays on Oracle’s servers.
- Diversify Your Reach: If the last three years have taught us anything, it's that no platform is permanent. Keep your presence active on YouTube Shorts or Instagram Reels just in case the "hybrid" ownership model hits another legal snag.
The dust has finally settled on the ownership of TikTok, but the era of it being a simple, "owned by one guy in China" app is officially dead. It’s now a corporate chimera—part American, part Chinese, part international, and 100% complicated.