The widely popular video-sharing platform TikTok has finalized an ownership restructuring that establishes a majority American-owned entity, successfully avoiding removal from US app stores and hosting services. The announcement Thursday brings relief to millions of users who faced the prospect of losing access to the platform.
ByteDance, the Chinese technology conglomerate that created TikTok, has agreed to reduce its ownership stake to 19.9% in the American entity, while US investors assume controlling interest with 80.1% of the company. Three major investors share equal ownership at 15% each: Oracle, the enterprise technology giant; Silver Lake, a prominent private equity firm specializing in technology investments; and MGX, an investment entity from Abu Dhabi. Michael Dell’s investment firm provides additional American capital.
This resolution addresses legislation enacted by Congress in 2024 that would have required app stores and internet hosting services to remove TikTok from their platforms unless it separated from Chinese ownership. The law reflected bipartisan concern about national security risks, including potential unauthorized access to user data by foreign governments and possible algorithmic manipulation. The Supreme Court affirmed the legislation’s validity in January 2025, setting the stage for potential removal before President Trump intervened.
Leadership of the American entity will be entrusted to Adam Presser, who previously held senior positions managing global operations and trust and safety functions for TikTok. The company will be overseen by a seven-member board of directors, deliberately designed with an American majority and composed of cybersecurity and national security experts. Current global TikTok CEO Shou Chew will participate as a board member, ensuring strategic continuity.
The new US entity commits to implementing rigorous safeguards for American users, including comprehensive data protection protocols, secured algorithms, enhanced content moderation, and software integrity measures. The platform’s recommendation algorithm will be completely retrained using exclusively US user data, with ongoing testing and refinement to ensure independence. President Trump employed executive authority to delay the ban’s enforcement while negotiations proceeded, and both US and Chinese government officials have now approved the arrangement, ensuring the platform remains available in US app stores and on hosting services.