Honestly, it felt like the world stopped for a second in January 2025. One minute you're scrolling through recipe hacks, and the next, the Supreme Court basically tells 170 million Americans that the clock has run out. If you've been following the "who will buy TikTok 2025" saga, you know it's been a total rollercoaster of extensions, court battles, and massive egos.
But here's the thing. We finally have some real answers.
After months of Donald Trump issuing 75-day extensions to keep the app from going dark, a deal finally hit the table in late 2025. It wasn't just one person with a giant checkbook. It’s a group. A "consortium" in fancy business speak. Basically, TikTok is being sliced up like a Thanksgiving turkey to satisfy the U.S. government’s security cravings.
The Big Winners: Who Actually Signed the Papers?
It turns out the "who" is a trio of heavy hitters you’ve probably heard of if you follow tech stocks or the news. As of December 2025, TikTok signed a binding agreement to sell its U.S. business to Oracle, Silver Lake, and MGX (that’s an investment firm out of Abu Dhabi).
Oracle is the big name here. They’ve been circling this like a hawk since 2020. Larry Ellison, the guy who co-founded Oracle, has been tight with Trump for years, which definitely didn't hurt their chances. Under the deal, these three are taking a combined 45% stake in a new company called TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC.
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Wait, what happens to ByteDance?
They aren't totally gone, which is weirdly controversial. ByteDance is keeping about 19.9% of the U.S. entity. The rest of the shares? They’re going to existing investors. This was the magic number to stay under the 20% "foreign adversary" limit set by that law Congress passed back in 2024.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Deal
You might think "buying TikTok" means they just get the login credentials and keep the party going. Not even close. The U.S. government isn't just worried about who owns the company; they’re terrified of the code.
Specifically, they’re worried about the algorithm—the secret sauce that knows you want to see "apartment organization" videos at 2 AM. The deal requires TikTok to literally retrain the algorithm on U.S. user data only. Oracle is going to be the "security partner," which basically means they’re the bouncers. They’ll be auditing the code and hosting all the data in their own clouds to make sure nobody in Beijing is peek-a-booing at your drafts.
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The Bidders Who Didn't Make the Cut
It’s kinda wild to look back at the people who tried to get in on this. Remember when Kevin O’Leary from Shark Tank was everywhere saying he had $20 billion in cash ready to go? He teamed up with Frank McCourt, the billionaire who used to own the Dodgers. They called it "The People’s Bid" and wanted to turn TikTok into some decentralized, privacy-focused utopia.
It was a cool idea. It just didn't have the political or technical muscle that Oracle brought to the table.
Then you had:
- Steven Mnuchin: The former Treasury Secretary was trying to build a group, but he mostly stayed in the shadows.
- Microsoft: They were the frontrunners years ago, but CEO Satya Nadella eventually called the whole process "the strangest thing" he’d ever worked on and backed off.
- Bobby Kotick: The former Activision boss was reportedly sniffing around, but that never turned into a formal offer.
- MrBeast: Jimmy Donaldson joked (or maybe didn't?) about buying it so it wouldn't get banned. While he’s got the reach, $100 billion is a lot of Feastables bars.
Why Does This Matter for You?
If you're a creator or a business, the "who will buy TikTok 2025" question isn't just trivia. It’s your livelihood. The deal is set to officially close on January 22, 2026.
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Expect things to feel a little "glitchy" for a while. When you move a platform this size to a new tech stack and retrain an algorithm from scratch, the For You Page might get a bit weird. You might see stuff you don't like, or your views might dip while the new AI learns what Americans actually like without the "global" influence it had before.
Also, expect more ads. Oracle and Silver Lake didn't spend billions of dollars because they love short-form dance videos. They want a return on that investment, and that usually means more "Sponsored Content" in your feed.
Your Next Steps in the New TikTok Era
The "is it getting banned?" drama is mostly over, but the "what is it now?" era is just beginning. Here is what you should actually do:
- Backup your content: If you haven't used the "Download your data" tool in settings yet, do it today. Technical migrations are messy.
- Diversify your reach: Don't let TikTok be your only home. Reels and YouTube Shorts are still the safest hedges while the Oracle transition happens.
- Watch the Algorithm: Keep a close eye on your analytics in February 2026. If your reach drops, it’s not you—it’s the new U.S.-based algorithm trying to find its footing.
- Update your Privacy Settings: With Oracle taking over data hosting, there will likely be a new set of Terms of Service hitting your inbox. Read the fine print this time.
The deal is signed, the buyers are locked in, and the "TikTok USDS" era is officially here. It’s not the same app it was in 2023, but at least it's not a black screen.