Vice President JD Vance expressed optimism on Friday that a deal to sell TikTok and keep it operating in the US would be finalised by the April 5 deadline, according to NBC news.
“There will almost certainly be a high-level agreement that I think satisfies our national security concerns, allows there to be a distinct American TikTok enterprise,” Vance said.
TikTok has faced political scrutiny over fears that its Chinese ownership could compromise American user data. The legislation signed by then-President Joe Biden last year requires ByteDance to sell TikTok to a non-Chinese company. When Donald Trump returned to office, he signed an executive order delaying enforcement of the ban for 75 days, effectively extending TikTok’s deadline to finalise a sale by early April. Trump has hinted at a possible extension if necessary.
ByteDance has not publicly confirmed any negotiations or expressed willingness to sell TikTok. However, multiple US-based buyers have shown interest. Wyoming entrepreneur Reid Rasner, CEO of Omnivest Financial, made an offer close to $47.45 billion. Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian has also joined businessman Frank McCourt’s bid.
Vance, who has a background in venture capital, acknowledged that complex deals of this size usually take months to finalise. He suggested that clerical and legal issues could push the timeline beyond April but remained hopeful that an extension would not be necessary. The main hurdles include determining the ownership structure of the new entity and finalising contracts with investors, customers, and service providers.
Despite the uncertainties, Vance expressed confidence that TikTok would remain operational in the US under new ownership while ensuring national security and data privacy concerns are addressed.
