Millions of people enjoy scrolling through TikTok, watching 15-second videos of trends, dances, and memes. However, as of Jan. 19, the globally popular social media app has been banned in the U.S. and removed from app stores unless its owner, ByteDance, secures a buyer for the platform.
In April 2024, President Joe Biden signed a law granting ByteDance 270 days to sell TikTok or face a complete ban. While TikTok remains available on devices that already have it installed, the ban prevents updates, meaning the app will eventually become unstable and unusable.
This isn’t the first time TikTok has faced a potential ban in the U.S. In April 2020, former President Donald Trump attempted to prohibit the app, calling it “disgraceful” and “unsafe.” According to Lisa Friedman and Sapana Maheshwari of The New York Times, Trump stated, “As far as TikTok is concerned, we’re banning them from the United States.” However, in a surprising turn of events, Trump has since voiced support for TikTok remaining in the country.
With ByteDance under pressure to sell, several high-profile individuals and companies have emerged as potential buyers. Among them is billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk, who has expressed interest in acquiring the platform. Additionally, rumors suggest that popular YouTuber MrBeast, also known as Jimmy Donaldson, has officially joined the bidding process.
Other major companies, including Microsoft, Amazon, Oracle, Walmart, and Perplexity AI, have also shown interest. Notably, in 2020, when Trump sought to ban TikTok, Microsoft, Oracle, and Walmart were involved in a similar bidding war, but ByteDance showed little interest in selling at the time.
The future of TikTok remains uncertain. Whether the app is permanently banned or acquired by a new owner will determine the fate of millions of content creators who rely on it for income. If a sale goes through, influencers could regain their platform without restrictions, allowing them to continue creating and monetizing content as before.