Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announces TikTok ownership transfer to US investors

 October 27, 2025

Hold onto your smartphones, patriots -- TikTok is finally getting an American makeover! After years of wrangling over national security risks tied to its Chinese ownership, the United States and China have hammered out a deal to shift control of the app’s American operations to a group of primarily U.S. and allied investors, as Breitbart reports. This isn’t just a tech story; it’s a win for safeguarding our data from foreign influence.

The crux of this breakthrough is a finalized agreement between the two global powers to transfer majority ownership of TikTok’s U.S. version, addressing long-standing concerns about its parent company, ByteDance, and its ties to the Chinese government.

Sunday marked a pivotal moment when Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent broke the news on CBS News’ Face the Nation, revealing that the deal had been locked in after intense negotiations. It’s no small feat to get Beijing to budge on something this big, and Bessent deserves credit for navigating these choppy waters. Still, one wonders if the progressive crowd will spin this as some kind of “xenophobic” overreach instead of a common-sense security move.

TikTok deal finalized

Bessent didn’t spill all the beans, but he made it clear that his mission was to secure China’s approval for this transaction. “He emphasized that his role was to secure China’s approval for the transaction, which he believes has been successfully accomplished over the past two days,” Bessent told CBS News. That’s diplomatic speak for “we got it done,” but let’s hope the fine print doesn’t hide any surprises.

Under the terms, ByteDance will hold onto less than 20% of the American TikTok entity, a sharp reduction from full control. The bulk—80% -- will be acquired by a coalition of investors, meeting the requirements of legislation passed by Congress and signed into law by the previous administration. This isn’t just a corporate shuffle; it’s a direct response to fears that user data could be funneled to foreign hands.

The investor lineup reads like a who’s who of American tech and business heavyweights, with names like Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison, tech entrepreneur Michael Dell, and News Corp chairman emeritus Rupert Murdoch reportedly in the mix. Add to that Vice President JD Vance’s mention of Oracle, private equity firm Silver Lake, and Abu Dhabi’s MGX fund as key players, and you’ve got a group that screams “America First.” It’s refreshing to see private enterprise stepping up where government bureaucracy often fumbles.

National security concerns addressed

President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping are set to seal this deal officially during their meeting in Busan, South Korea, on Thursday. As Bessent put it, “President Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping will officially ‘consummate’ the agreement during their upcoming meeting in Busan, South Korea, on Thursday.” Let’s hope this handshake doesn’t come with any last-minute curveballs from across the Pacific.

The structure of this new joint venture is designed to put American interests front and center. ByteDance’s minority stake ensures they’re no longer calling the shots, while Oracle takes on the critical task of managing a secure cloud environment for U.S. user data. This isn’t just about ownership -- it’s about keeping our personal info out of reach of any foreign meddling.

Oracle’s role doesn’t stop there; they’re also tasked with retraining TikTok’s recommendation algorithm, which ByteDance will lease to the new U.S. entity. Think of it as a tech detox, stripping away any potential backdoors that could manipulate what Americans see on their feeds. If that’s not a step toward digital sovereignty, what is?

Oracle leads data security efforts

These arrangements directly tackle the nagging worries about data privacy and security risks tied to TikTok’s software. With controls in place to block other nations from accessing American user information, the deal aims to put those concerns to bed. Still, skeptics might ask if any system is truly foolproof in today’s cyber jungle.

For years, conservatives have sounded the alarm on TikTok’s Chinese ownership, often met with eye-rolls from the left who dismiss such warnings as fearmongering. Yet here we are, with a bipartisan-backed law and a hard-fought agreement proving those concerns weren’t just hot air. It’s a rare moment where common sense trumps the woke narrative that everything is always “fine as is.”

The involvement of figures like Murdoch and Dell signals that this isn’t just a government overreach but a private sector push to protect national interests. Their participation lends credibility to the effort, showing that even corporate titans see the value in decoupling critical tech from foreign control. Maybe this will wake up some of the Silicon Valley crowd to the real stakes at play.

Future updates awaited

As this deal moves toward its formal completion on Thursday, all eyes will be on Busan for any hints of friction or fanfare. The stakes couldn’t be higher when it comes to ensuring the app’s 150 million American users aren’t pawns in a geopolitical chess game. Let’s hope the final signature isn’t just ceremonial but ironclad.

Breitbart News has pledged to keep readers in the loop as more details emerge on this landmark transaction. With so much riding on the security of our digital lives, staying informed is more crucial than ever. Expect updates as this story unfolds, because in today’s world, data is power.

In the end, this TikTok deal is a step toward reclaiming control over a platform that’s become a cultural juggernaut, without letting it become a Trojan horse for foreign influence. It’s not about banning innovation or stifling free expression -- it’s about ensuring that the tools shaping our kids’ minds aren’t beholden to a government half a world away. That’s a cause worth fighting for, and this agreement might just be the victory conservatives have been waiting for.

DON'T WAIT.

We publish the objective news, period. If you want the facts, then sign up below and join our movement for objective news:

TOP STORIES

Latest News