Microsoft Reenters Negotiations to Acquire TikTok, Joining Oracle in Leading Effort

Is it already 2025? Time flies, doesn’t it? And here we are again with Microsoft reportedly eyeing TikTok for acquisition. Yes, you read that right—TikTok might be finding its way back into Microsoft’s sights.

In case you missed it, last year, the U.S. Congress pushed through a bill demanding that TikTok, owned by a China-based company, either sell off its U.S. operations or face shutdown. The bill stood firm as former President Joe Biden opted not to block it. TikTok resisted and went offline briefly last Sunday, only to come back a few hours later with a grateful message to President Trump, who just took office, for giving them a bit more time.

President Trump granted TikTok a 90-day reprieve, but the app isn’t back on Google Play or Apple’s App Store, thanks to the legislation still hanging over its head. So, the clock is ticking for TikTok to either close its operations stateside or secure a buyer soon.

That’s where Microsoft comes back into the equation. NPR reported, drawing on sources like The Verge, that Microsoft is again in discussions to acquire TikTok.

Globally known for its addictive nature, TikTok’s algorithm has come under fire for creating echo chambers and exacerbating radical views. The U.S. has labeled the app a national security threat due to its parent company Bytedance’s connections with the Chinese Communist Party. The concern is that TikTok might spread propaganda or serve as a tool for tracking Americans. Meanwhile, the European Union has also launched its own inquiry into TikTok’s impact on rising extremist groups and its role in distributing Russian propaganda that supports Putin.

What’s potentially cooking behind the scenes is a plan where Oracle might take over TikTok’s global operations, leaving Bytedance with a minority stake. Microsoft is reportedly part of these talks, yet the exact extent of their involvement remains unclear. All the parties involved are keeping their lips sealed for now.

In the world of social media dominance, Meta has Facebook and Instagram, Google boasts YouTube, Amazon commands Twitch, and Microsoft? Well, they have LinkedIn.

While LinkedIn is certainly a robust and profitable enterprise, its strictly professional nature doesn’t quite influence pop culture the way other platforms do. If Microsoft were to acquire a platform like TikTok, it could breathe new life into their consumer-oriented sectors—Windows, Surface, and Xbox could see a surge. Imagine seamless TikTok integration with Xbox, or a new Windows feature for video editing mimicking TikTok’s style. Though, to be fair, many similar hopes were pinned on Skype when it was bought by Microsoft, and we all know how that played out.

The chances of Microsoft actually owning a piece of TikTok seem slim, with much of TikTok’s advanced AI and machine learning dependent on Azure, even though the majority of the platform is hosted on Oracle’s cloud. Microsoft’s current involvement likely revolves around their Azure AI services.

But hey, what if they did manage to pull it off? The possibilities are intriguing.