CNBC "TikTok Sale May Be Announced as Early as Tomorrow"

MS-Walmart vs Oracle Competition
Government Export Control Technology Designation as a Variable

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] The sale of the U.S. operations of Chinese video-sharing app TikTok is reportedly imminent.

On the 31st (local time), CNBC cited sources reporting that the sale of TikTok's U.S. business could be announced as early as the 1st of next month.

CNBC reported that ByteDance, TikTok's parent company, has already decided on the buyer. Microsoft-Walmart alliance and Oracle are known to be competing to acquire TikTok's U.S. operations.

Walmart, in alliance with Alphabet, Google's parent company, and Japan's SoftBank, had pushed for the TikTok acquisition but joined the Microsoft camp aiming to secure a minority stake, following the U.S. government's preference for a technology company-led acquisition.

Oracle's acquisition efforts are reportedly led by founder Larry Ellison, who is known to have a close relationship with U.S. President Donald Trump.

However, CNBC also reported that the sale process could face significant obstacles as China's Ministry of Commerce has placed TikTok's artificial intelligence (AI) technology under export control.

The deadline for TikTok's sale, designated by President Trump through an executive order, is September 20.