TikTok Navigates Political Transition with Deal Spanning Biden and Trump Administrations

TikTok has successfully finalized an ownership restructuring that establishes a majority American-owned entity, navigating a complex political transition that saw the ban legislation pass under President Biden and the deal framework develop under President Trump. The announcement Thursday demonstrates how the company adapted to changing political dynamics.
ByteDance, the Chinese parent company of TikTok, has agreed to a structure reducing its ownership to 19.9%, while American investors assume controlling interest with 80.1% of the company. Three major investors share equal ownership at 15% each: Oracle, led by technology billionaire Larry Ellison; Silver Lake, a prominent private equity firm focused on technology sector investments; and MGX, an investment fund from Abu Dhabi. Michael Dell’s investment firm provides additional American capital.
The ownership transformation addresses legislation passed under President Biden’s administration in 2024 with overwhelming bipartisan congressional support, which required TikTok to separate from Chinese ownership or face prohibition. The Supreme Court validated the ban in January 2025, in the final days of the Biden administration. However, on President Trump’s first day in office, he signed an executive order postponing the ban, and has since repeatedly continued to delay its enforcement while facilitating negotiations.
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, structured according to Trump administration specifications with an American majority composed of cybersecurity and national security experts. Current global TikTok CEO Shou Chew will participate as a board member.
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. Both US and Chinese government officials have approved the arrangement, with President Trump publicly celebrating the agreement and thanking Chinese President Xi Jinping, noting his role in helping to save TikTok for American users.